White Rose
by Zakhil
Summary: With her father dead and sister missing, Reiya ravages across Japan in search of clues. Upon meeting Kaneki, a whirlwind of events present themselves to her, some answers, yet even more questions in tow. Omou, driven to vengeance on the back of a life of darkness and death, searches dangerously close to find their killer. What lies beyond the paths ahead of these two?
1. Petal 1

Disclaimer: The thumbnail does not belong to me, and neither do the characters and concepts introduced in this story...mostly!

Hello to those of you who've stumbled upon my tale about Ghouls. This is a story I came up with at my sister's request in order to give my own take on a romance driven story with Kaneki Ken, the main protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida, but you probably wouldn't be here if you didn't already know that!

This story is also available on:

Wattpad

Deviantart

For updates throughout the week on potential delays and such:

Tumblr

Deviantart

* * *

**Searching for Closure**

The sun shines brightly on the 20th Ward. A young woman walks through its streets, headed for the most renowned cafe in the area. Or at least, the most talked about. What awaits her beyond its doors?

Inside the cafe, a young, short-haired waitress checks the pantry for coffee beans, disappointed to find it completely scarce. "Oi, didn't the next supply of beans come in yesterday?" Another waiter, carefully dressed with an eyepatch to his left eye, cleverly covering it partially with dusk black hair, walks over to realize his mistake. "Oh yeah. I forgot to restock them." He utters fearfully, cautiously attempting not to flare her up. "They're in the back."

"Then go bring them! Fast, before we start having people come i-"

The bell rings, reciprocated by a swinging door, as a young lady sporting white hair appears adorned with a white short-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants that roll up halfway up her legs to make up her attire, if not for the black diamond laced necklace around her neck and white-striped black sandals that wrapped lusciously around her feet.

The waitress' mouth gapes open slightly as she stares, dazed. "Damn." The customer seats herself next to the window, positioned in such a way that allows her to glance through the hallway in the back.

"_...He's not here."_

The waitress approaches the customer. "Welcome. What would you like to order?"

She throws the waitress a familiar smile. "The usual!"

"O-Oh. Okay, coming right up." As she goes to brew the coffee, the customer's eyes wander aimlessly around her surroundings, noticing the eye-patch-sporting waiter on occasion as he walks by.

The coffee is now done, leaving the waitress to drop a couple spoonfuls of caramel before stirring it judiciously and topping it off with a generous spraying of whipped cream.

"Is that what she calls 'the usual'?" "Yeah, she's a real piece of work. After her visit, she expects me to remember her order now each and every time." The waiter's brow raises in slight confusion. "How many times has she ordered from here?" "This is her fourth visit this week, but apparently, she's been here before then as well." "Oh, right. You haven't been coming to work the week before after our fight with the Gourmet." She looks away with a pained expressed. "Yeah…"

She takes the coffee and brings it over to the young lady, who doesn't waste anytime sipping into it.

"*slurp* Oh, so good!"

The young lady's eyes begin to sparkle as the morning sun accentuates her silken white hair that seem to fall just short from the rest of her back. Light murmurs could be heard from across the counter.

"…" "I don't think I've seen anyone become this excited over our coffee. It seems you've got a fan, Touka." An older waiter tries to assure her. She balls up her fists and looks in the opposite direction of the young lady. "I didn't do nothing special. I just fixed it up the way she's always requested. And besides, I burned it!" The older waiter laughs softly, patting her on the shoulder. "Well, she doesn't seem to mind at least." He heads towards the back of the cafe. "...Yeah, whatever."

Her eyes become buried by her hair as she begins to recall the events of last week. Two gentleman lying on the floor, both likely dead from wounds sustained, an ominously colored wing protruding from her shoulders, and a young woman laying eyes upon it in both shock and awe. "_Beautiful."_

Touka rushes into the back of the cafe, grazing the shoulder of the waiter from earlier on the way. He walks over to the counter to assume his shift alongside an orange-haired, glasses-touting waiter. The cafe is slightly livelier. Four other customers have already entered and left. Two others are presently being catered to. Yet, the young lady remains, staring out the window, circling the rim of her near-empty cup with her pinky.

The waiter's eyes remain glued to her as she playfully licks up what's left of her coffee off her pinky. She catches his gaze, to his chagrin. When he tries to quickly divert his eyes, he's comforted with a swift smack on the back by the man next to him.

"She piqn' your interest or somethin', or are you just hungry?" He looks toward the man, lightly flushed and very much surprised by the remark. "N-Nishio-kun! I-I wasn't planning on doing anything like that… I was just thinking that she's been here for quite a while now." "Tch, maybe she's just waiting for someone and he hasn't shown. Or she could just be attracted to the smell of ghouls."

She chuckles softly. "_Perhaps I am. Then again, that'd be giving you guys too much credit."_

She pulls out a crumpled sheet of paper from her back pocket and spreads it out against the table.

"_Hmm, so we have Kirishima Touka, referred to as the Rabbit. Who could complain with the name with that adorable face! She definitely seems to be the athletic type."_ Her finger wanders off to a picture of a tall white-hair man in a pale coat. "_And thaaat's...oh right, Yomo! If I remember, I think his nickname was the Raven. Nishio Nishiki, nothing special, and too young to be anything but. Then there's old man Yoshimura, rumored to be the legendary Owl. According to brother's intel, he was the last man to speak with the man known by very few as Virus. And then there's-"_

"Excuse me miss." She glances up at him, poker face'd. "Would you like a refill?"

Touka walks across the hallway in the back when she catches sight of the boy in front of the young lady. She plainly pulls off the eye patch. Immediately, droplets of sweat run down the sides of his face, eyes swollen, skin shuddering. The nonchalantness of this notion shook him to his very core.

"Kaneki Ken. The one-eyed Ghoul. The one who holds 'her' scent."

"How do you-"

"Not the one I'm searching for, but interesting nonetheless."

She lets go of the eyepatch and ruffles up her hair in frustration.

"Gahh, aside from old man Yoshi, no one else here fits the bill! Why did I think he'd be hiding in the safest Ward anyway?! That'd be too easy. I should've known brother was just pulling my leg to get me off his case. Okay, I got you." With her eyes sparkling wildly, "Challenge accepted!"

Still attempting to recover from her previous action, "...Um."

"Oh right, you were asking me for a refill. My apologies! Don't worry about it. It's about time for me to leave anyway. Maybe next time."

After taking a deep breathe, he confronts the woman before him with a sense of decisiveness that he had lacked when he came over. As she raises from her chair and begins to walk off…

"Wait."

"Hm? Yes, what is it?"

"Who...are you?"

"A human of course! Just like you!"

He stares deeply into her eyes, judging the sincerity of her comment, yet both moved and shocked by it.

"Sorry for doing something to you so sudden like that. You see, I'm searching for someone."

"Searching for someone?"

"Or rather, you could say I'm kinda searching for myself!"

"I see. Did you think I looked like this person perhaps?"

"No, I was just curious to see what was behind that patch. Now I know." She places her pinkie over her lips to hint her silence. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

The nerves come home.

"Ahaha...hm?"

She stretches her hand to him.

"The name's Reiya. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too." _(Even though she's a human. I can tell...there's something different about her.)_

"Bye now!"

As Reiya leaves the cafe, a loud song can be heard from her back-pocket. Her cheeks light up a little.

"Eh?"

Startled, Touka swiftly turns towards the direction of the sound. "What the..."

Kaneki slowly directs his eyes downward to the source of the noise. "Um…"

"This is a... pen! This is... a pen!"

She reaches into her backpocket and puts her cell phone on mute, laughing at the situation.

"Ahaha, I'm sure some of you here have some pretty ridiculous ringtones of your own."

"Aha, you're probably right."

"Anyway, bye!"

Outside, she calls up the person from earlier. A calm, nonchalant voice emits from the phone.

"Moshi moshi."

"Moshi your face."

"Don't blame me for your taste in ringtones."

Her cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment. "Your timing was pretty crappy too."

"My apologies. Next time I won't call and give my perfectly competent sister a friendly warning."

"Warning? Wait, you don't mean that-"

"Not yet. But they'll be there within a few days time. They're looking for 'him'. The boy with Rize's scent.

"It doesn't sound like you're being deployed."

"With who they're sending, my presence isn't necessary."

"Hah, you make it sound like it's a relief they don't need you."

"You know why I'm here. I don't have time to waste playing delivery boy."

"Yeah, that's never been your style, has it? You do everything in your own way, yet you do it in such a clever way that no one can complain, even if they wanted to."

"As long as our leader doesn't take concern with my actions, that's not going to change. Anyway, this shouldn't really matter much to you, since you're leaving soon."

"...About that…"

"*Sigh*... Well, don't say I didn't warn you. Take care of yourself."

"Same goes double for you. Bye."

Upon hanging up, she walks by an alleyway to find someone eating on the ground. Blood lies splattered across the surface, accompanied by shattered bones and ruptured organs. The air was filled with the noise of peeling flesh and grinding of teeth, neatly coated with masculine moaning.

Reiya witnesses the sight with an indifferent expression. "Hmph."

The man turns around, blood dripping from his face, as he smiles at her. Their eyes make contact, though her expression remains otherwise.

"Oh, you wish to join in on the feast? There's plenty of room for you!" He rushes toward her, prompting her to...

sigh. With his mouth wide open, he lunges for her shoulder.

"You poor thing."

She clasps his cheeks with both her hands.

"You won't last long in this state. You're not cut out to be a Ghoul."

She kisses him on the forehead, and he drops down to his knees. More blood begins to run down his face, except it was his own.

"Aagh! What... did you do?" "Just be grateful I severed your Kakuhou, and not your brain." The man falls flat on the floor, unable to move.

"B-But... how…"

She sticks out her tongue playfully. "Beats me! That's what I'd like to know." She walks off as the man soon bleeds out.

Reiya stares into the clear sky, spoiling it with a saddened expression. "That's why I need to find the man who gave me this power. So I can find out what happened to me that day. And what became of her."

A brief image pops in her head: a younger version of herself running alongside a pale blue-haired girl.

The image subsides, as she wipes her face of tears.

"I will find you, Amaya."

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	2. Petal 2

**One-Eyed Ghoul**

The moon shines upon an otherwise dim room, sheltering a young man gazing at its radiance.

_Under a similar night sky was a young boy hidden within the shadows of the 11th ward. With his hair dawning the same color, it was his greatest weapon; one he was very much accustomed to. He would routinely wander throughout the ward in search of foolish prey. Though he was a Ghoul, he refused to eat just any human. He always referred to his fathers words before hunting for food. "To eat is to consume. To absorb one's existence. Their very being.. and make it your own."_

_As the boy sets his sights on a target, he thinks back to the very conversation he had with his father._

_"If that's true, then why do you only eat evil people? Doesn't that just make you more evil?" The father laughs joyfully. "People already see us as monsters, so who we eat makes no difference. While they go off accusing our own kind, we'll be the ones wiping the existence of the monsters they've considered us to be among themselves. How funny is that?"_

_As the memory subsides, the boy walks up to a tall, muscular man, unsuccessfully flirting with a couple of women attempting to break free. He pokes the man in the back._

_"Leave them alone."_

_The man turns toward the boy, seemingly annoyed._

_"Aww, how adorable! What a brave gentleman he is, standing up to this." "Young man, please get back before you get yourself hurt." "Tch, you heard the ladies, get lost. This is grown-up business that doesn't concern you." _

_The boy slowly looks up at the man, expressionless._

_"Leave them alone. I won't ask you again."_

_The man busts out laughing, before walking up to the boy and punching him square in the face, plummeting him into the ground. The women shout in terror. "Ah, shut it! This brat had it coming. Shoulda just shut his damn mouth up." He wipes off his knuckles, as if he had squashed a bug. "This is a good life lesson for him; to not mess with grown-ups." "How is punching this young man's brains out supposed to be a good lesson for him? You might've killed him!" "God, you're such an asshole! Why'd we even bother sparing a second for this creep? C'mon, let's go." "Wait ladies, wait up!" As he tries to take a step, he feels the sleeve of his pants being nudged by the boy behind him. He looks back, only to become mortified at what he sees._

_"You're not going anywhere." A large black wing protrudes from his back as it pierces the man in the chest. He quickly decapitates him before a sound of agony could be uttered._

_He then drags the deceased man into a dark alleyway before beginning to feast on his prize. As he chews down the flesh of his victim, tears run down his cheeks. He thinks to himself: "I wonder if a day will come when I can no longer understand myself after eating so many parasites. It probably wouldn't be long until I'm found out and murdered mercilessly, just as I've done to all these people." _

_He stares into the bright moon above. "That would probably be for the best, wouldn't it? Could this have been a fate predetermined from the beginning?" Finally, he utters aloud. "Is it really okay for someone like me to go on living?"_

_"Whose permission are you asking for?"_

_The boy is startled by the sudden response, jumping behind a dumpster to conceal himself. "It's fine. I'll fade into the darkness. Perfectly. Just as I've always done. Just like.. my father did."_

_The man looks to two little girls beside him. "Will you two bring him out for me?" They both respond unanimously, "Okay!"_

_The boy hears footsteps. His heart begins to race, squinting his eyes and covering his ears. He asks softly, "Please don't hurt me."_

_"Then smile."_

_Surprised by how close the voice sounded, he quickly lifts his head up to meet the eyes of two young girls. One had magenta hair, while the other's was a dark teal. His eyes settled onto the first one, losing himself in her amber eyes. "What's the point of smiling? I'm a ghoul. You should be running away and calling for help. And I'm supposed to stay here and wait patiently for my death . Cause that's the way life i-ow!"_

_The teal-haired girl knocks him on the head. He looks into her eyes as she smiles at him. "You're not as bad a person as you think you are, Mr. So please, don't try so hard to apologize to the world for being different. You should decide for yourself to live, and to be happy with being different. If you can do that, then surely you won't ever have to worry about being alone. After all, you have us now."_

_He brings his head down, releasing the kagune from his shoulders._

_"Please just go. I don't want to hurt you."_

_His eyes open suddenly when the magenta-haired girl hugs him. In the same instance, he thinks back to when he was younger, being held in a nurturing fashion by his father, as well as his mother._

_He begins to cry, and the kagune dissolves back into his body. He then holds the young girl tightly and yells deeply. It was the first embrace he's received from anyone since his father's passing. The teal-haired girl struggles to keep from crying. The boy extends his hand to her, to which she proclaims, "Group hug!" The three all cry together. Soon after, the man approaches the three of them, giving them a warm smile._

_"Who are you, and why did you send these two over here instead of yourself? I'd imagine you'd have to be pretty crazy to do something like that."_

_"Call it a leap of faith. You could argue that it was an incredibly ridiculous amount of faith I'd have in a complete stranger to not killl the two most precious creatures in the world to me. But I could tell from your heart, that you wouldn't have. That you were different from the others._

_"Different?"_

_"Mm. Despite how dark you are in appearance, your heart shines. As bright as that moon over there."_

_"...My heart?"_

_"A heart that's capable of loving, despite itself, and to be loved back. We could always have someone like that around in our house." He rubs the boy's hair. "Still worried about being alone?" The kids all look up at him and smile._

_"I'm professor Hiroshi." He places his hand on the magenta-haired girl. "I'm Reiya!" He then taps the teal-haired girl. "And I'm Amaya!" _

_"Now, young one, what is your name?" He looks down for a second as he tries to remember a name he hadn't been called by for two years now. "My name.. my name is-"_

"Yori Omou! The leader would like a word with you. He would like you to come over in the evening." As if he had awoken from a dream, Omou slowly tilts his head towards the man in question. "Does he now?"

_ In the 20th ward…_

In her room, heavily lacking of adornments, furniture, and decorations typical of an 18 year old girl, Reiya lays on the floor, with her back against the side of the bed, with only a camisole and boxers to cover her, as she's left to her own thoughts. "_If those guys show up, things are surely to get complicated. And I still need to speak with Yoshimura. Then again, if they're only after Kaneki, then it really isn't going to change things for me too much._" She lets out a mild smile. "But that wouldn't be much fun, would it?" After a swift yawn, she slips under her purple covers before falling asleep.

_ The next day..._

Reiya visits Anteiku once more and orders the usual. Kaneki and Touka are on their shift, and when Touka brings Reiya's coffee to her, she clasps her hands together and bows to her. "I'm sorry, but, uh, can the boy over there serve it instead?" "H-huh? But I already have it right here for you." Reiya starts twiddling with her fingers, already lost on what to say next.

"...Then, can you at least relay this to him?" She whispers into her ear her message, before adding: "Does Yoshimura work here by any chance?"

"Do you have any business with him?"

"I'm curious to know if he has any information about someone I'm looking for. I learned from someone that he works here."

Touka laughs nervously, albeit with a hint of disappointment.

"So you've been coming here all this time to find him? Well that explains a lot."

"Pretty much, aside from the lovely coffee and peaceful vibe I get here. It's a shame I'll be leaving soon."

Touka blushes mildly and discreetly points over at Kaneki. "Then thank him. He's the one who made it."

Reiya chuckles. "Don't be so modest. That doesn't fit your style."

"Tch, and how the hell would you know what my style is?"

"Because of the way you act towards your co-workers."

"I guess you like to eavesdrop then?"

"It's a bad habit of mine. Don't worry, you won't have to put up with it for much longer. I'll be leaving this ward as soon as I get to speak to Yoshimura."

"I wasn't trying to make a big de-"

Kaneki yells from behind the counter, "Touka! Where did you put the-"

"Just shut up, I'm coming!" As she begins to walk off, she pauses briefly and turns back toward Reiya. "This person you're looking for...does he happen to be a ghoul?"

"I wouldn't be here to speak with Yoshimura if it were a simple human."

"Then, are you a-"

Reiya interrupts her as she dawns a smile. "A human, just like you." The space between them grew silent, as Touka could do nothing more than stare in bewilderment by Reiya's comment, before letting out a faint smile.

Moments later, Reiya finishes her coffee and leaves, disappointed. "Of course he'd be out right now. Whatever, I'll catch him one of these days. Hmph!... But first..."

She stands by the entrance and waits patiently. Not long after, Kaneki emerges from the cafe.

"Yo!"

"Hi. Did you need me for something?"

Reiya playfully flexes her arms. "Something like that."

She punches him in the nose and trips his feet. Before long, he finds himself pinned to the ground, with Reiya sitting on his stomach, holding the joints of his arms down. He squirms powerlessly, struggling to break free.

"Hey, stop it! What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh come on, at least put up some sort of a damn fight. With your g-h-o-u-l-i-s-h strength you should easily out-"

"What was the need to spell it out?"

"Just shut up and do it."

He flails his arms with all his strength, and to her surprise.. nothing happened. She stares at him with a look of disappointment and hopelessness.

"Wow, you're really screwed, aren't you?"

"It's not that I don't know how to fight. I just would rather not fight you, is all. Why are you doing this anyway?"

Noticing his bent legs, she sits up and lays her back against them. "You didn't hear this from me. Some bad people are coming to take you away."

"Bad people? What do they want with me?"

"Beats me."

"Do you know who they are?"

"No, but I know who they work for. Someone I know is also apart of their group, so I won't say who exactly, but… I can give you their initials. AT. Unravel those initials and you'll know who's after you. Not that it'll really matter, with the state you're in."

Kaneki laughs to her surprise. "You think I'm that incapable of doing anything too?"

She pokes out her lips and looks away. "Maybe not completely. I hardly know anything about you aside from the fact that you're a little different."

"Haha, I should probably thank you for that."

"For what? I don't remember doing anything to deserve your thanks. If anything it should be the opposite."

"Even though you know what I am, you're not nonchalantly declaring it. I was a little worried at first, but I don't feel as bad about you knowing my secret now. I still don't know a whole lot about you either, but I can at least make out this much: you're a good person."

Her face turns cold. "No I'm not."

"Heh?"

"Don't use that word to describe me. I'm not a good person. People tend to use that as an excuse to not involve me in things. So don't say that. Say that I'm a bad person."

"What's wrong with being good? To me, it's practically the same thing as being pure."

"And when have I acted pure?"

"Your honesty.. or rather, your brutal honesty that allows you to speak what's on your mind. Anyone would be scared to take responsible for tainting someone so free-spirited and strong-willed."

She lies silent for a moment, and in the next instance, she pulls Kaneki's collar toward her, bringing their faces an inch between each other. Their lips, however, continue to lean closer. Kaneki gently pushes her shoulders.

"Why are you making such a pained expression?"

"...I just remembered that I shouldn't be doing something so reckless as what I was about to do. Could you still consider me pure after that?"

"It's still you, I'd think."

"Hmph." She raises herself up and dusts off her crimson pants. "Then think nothing of it. You should get back to work." She walks off.

_"And you think I'm pure? Just look who's talking..."_

_ In the 11th ward..._

Omou walks through a dark hallway, stopping upon a door with a tag on it labeled, 'Eto'. There he stood for a few moments, palms slightly sweaty and stomach packed with butterflies.

He lets out a deep breathe. "_Here goes_."

Finally, he knocks on the door. To his surprise, he hears a gentle, feminine voice on the other side. "Come in! I've just finished sprucing up!" He stands there once again, this time dazed and confused.

"You're kidding me…" He immediately thinks back to when he was recruited.

_ Four years ago..._

_He was wandering the streets in the middle of the night, clueless as to what to do, after the death of the closest man to him since his father. Hiroshi had died the same way his father had; at the hands of not a human, but of a ghoul, according to various autopsy reports._

_"This is what I get for trying to escape from solitude. My misfortunes only seem to pass on to others. Like a sickness."_

_He walks by someone wrapped in bandages, when the person in question speaks to him._

_"Then direct it toward those you wish to see suffer."_

_He looks back toward her, as she extends her hand._

_"Surely your strength will be of use in our hands. If you're afraid of hurting the people you care about, join us, so that you can protect them from the people you don't. I'm sure the boss won't mind with a reasoning like that."_

_A tall man emerges from the dark alleyway next to her. "What is your answer?" From her bandages, he can make out a smile._

_"Protect the people I care about?"_

_"Mhm."_

_He thinks briefly of the two girls he considers his sisters, Reiya and Amaya. _ As he reaches for the woman's hand, the memory fades.

"That voice… It can't be that-"

He opens the door, but instead of the typical purple attire and bandages that typically wrapped around her, he finds a gravely bare woman adorned in only a black robe and green hair that hung widely and violently down her back, in the middle of picking her clothes off the floor. "Oh good, you came! Come in! And close the door behind you." Instead, he does nothing, but merely stare at the person who was referred to as 'leader'. She walks up to him, grabbing his hand, and pulling him into her room, before shutting the door behind them."

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	3. Petal 3

**Grim Solace**

In the middle of the night, Reiya holds a picture of her father and sister, as well as herself and Omou, her arms coiled around it as she lays up on her bed. "Even though father's no longer with us... even if you guys are far away, I know that as long as you're both okay, I can continue to smile. "

An image of Kaneki pops in her head, which has her thinking about the last words Omou spoke to her in person.

"_I'm not going to sit here and promise you that I'll still be here a month from now. Maybe it'll be a year, or ten. But I've already decided on this."_

"_And you think this is what our dad would've wanted? My dad took care of you all this time because he knew how kind-hearted a person you are. You think he'd be happy about you throwing that away to ally yourself with a bunch of cold-blooded killers?"_

"_He doesn't have to be happy. He's dead. It makes no difference to him what I do with my life._

"_Then what about me? And Amaya? Don't you care how it'd make us feel?"_

"_You two are the reason why I can do this without hesitation."_

_Reiya hides her hands behind her back as they begin to quiver._

"_...So that's how it is." _"_Is that why you didn't attend the funeral? All this time, you've been..._"

_She fights hard to hold back her tears, taking a deep breathe before shouting,_

_"Well fine, get lost already!"_

_"Reiya."_

_She catches a glimpse of his smile as he walks toward her. __He pats her on the head and kisses her on the forehead._

"_Thank you. For all the happiness you and Amaya have shared with me. Especially you, for putting up with me and Amaya."_

_Tears roll down her face as she turns her face away from him. "Hush up. This isn't goodbye or anything. More like, until next time. Promise me that!"_

_She extends her hand, still shivering._

_Omou brings his arm around the back of her and pulls her against his chest for an embrace. His entire body shook like a leaf._

"_Take care of Amaya."_

_As the memory fades out, Reiya places the picture back on the dresser. "Kaneki-kun. Hmm, he really does remind me of him__._" _She turns off the lamp next to her and closes her eyes, comforted by her bed covers and a warm, hopeful smile._

_In the 13th ward…_

Omou is asked to sit on the bed, as the young woman walks over to the corner of her room to throw off her robe and get dressed.

Omou looks away.

"I know you're probably wondering why I called you over here at night of all times."

Still looking away, he replies, "...You are Eto, aren't you?"

"Yep, that's me."

She throws on a long, ragged darkish purple cloak that reaches down to her knees.

"_So she really is the leader of_ Aogiri."

"Ara, were you expecting a big terrifying man when you came over?"

"Maybe…I honestly don't know what I was expecting."

"You can look now."

He turns toward her with curious eyes, only to catch the gaze from her pale green eyes beaming at him, wearing a long, subtle smile.

"Were you surprised?"

"Confused, if anything. That the leader herself would've brought in an ordinary Ghoul like me."

"I wouldn't have brought you here if I shared that sentiment."

She slowly walks toward him.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask me. I'll try my best to answer them."

"Is that the reason you called me over?"

"Mhm, I don't want there to be any confusion between us."

His eyes awaken from her gaze, surprised at how close she's gotten to him, their faces only a few inches apart, her legs slightly bent to keep their eyes leveled, muffling the top of his hair with her fingertips, much softer than he had anticipated.

Omou begins to blush while he tries to endure the touch of her fingertips.

"Why have you...waited until now to reveal yourself as the leader? Was I...unproven and undeserving of knowing your identity until recently?"

"To be honest, I was nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Silly, right? For a leader of such a dangerous group of Ghouls to be as hesitant as I was. But, you know, at lot's happened recently too, so I was preoccupied too. Or rather, I made myself preoccupied, to keep from having to think about what I would say if we eventually met officially.

"Have the others met you 'officially' too?"

She pauses her rubbing as she turns her back on him.

"Yes and no. They know who they follow, but…"

"Eh? Ehh?!"

_"Does she mean that she hasn't allowed anyone else to see her like this?"_

He takes the moment to stare down her long dark green hair, taking notice of her slender arms and legs.

_"How could someone so beautiful..." _"Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel tense while talking with me."

"That's a pretty ridiculous reason to reveal yourself to those below you."

She turns back toward him, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Ahahaha…Oh, right, where was I?"

She crawls onto the bed and around to his backside, before resuming her massaging, only with both of her hands.

"Nnngh! Cut it out already!"

"Am I that bad at this?"

_"No, you're not, but..." _"What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I thought this would help relieve your stress a little."

"You're making me even more stressed!"

He grabs her hand, causing her to jolt and pull back her other hand, to his surprise.

"...I'm sorry. I should've asked first before doing that to you so suddenly."

He lets go of her hand, raises from the bed and heads for the door.

"You're welcome to come by anytime."

He opens the door.

"G-Good nig-"

The door shuts. On the other side of the door, Omou maintains the same cold expression as when he left. He quickly heads back to his quarters, hiding the blood dripping from the palm of his right hand inside the pocket of his pants.

_The following morning…_

A group of seemingly suspicious individuals visit a fairly bustling Anteiku. Touka and Kaneki are both on shift. The tallest among them approaches the two of them, asking where their manager is. In the corner of the shop, an elderly woman sips her coffee, cautiously eavesdropping.

The two bring the group to the back to discuss in private, after having already told them that the manager was away.

"Oh my, I sure hope nothing bad happens back there."

As she takes another sip of her coffee, her cup suddenly falls into pieces when the sound of glass shattering could be heard from the back of the cafe. Touka notices the noise immediately, but first runs to the old lady.

"Are you okay, ma-"

The old lady abruptly grabs Touka's wrist as it reaches for the shards.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"R-Reiya?"

"Don't ask why I'm dressed like this. Just go!"

Touka power walks to the back so as not to alert the customers. Right as the door to the back closes, another opens, to Reiya's shock, immediately taking note of their strong presence.

_"Crap...__"_

Two tall men walk into the cafe.

_"Since when...were they this close? How could I have missed them?"_

The atmosphere immediately grows tense, as Reiya finds difficulty keeping her cool whilst a tall large man dawning a white suit is accompanied by a much thinner gentleman. Compared to the other guy, he had on a loose floral shirt along with tight jeans that both aimed to accentuate his sleekness. They head through the other door to the back of the cafe. Reiya covers her eyes with the back of arm as she can do nothing but remain quiet as they waltz through the cafe.

_"Anything short of a kiss to the head won't be enough to kill that giant bastard. Touka-chan and Kaneki together wouldn't even be enough to take him on. And the other one...maybe he's just a spectator?"_

She soon hears loud thudding sounds, not to be outdone by Kaneki's cries. Reiya tries to block the sound out with her hair, but to no avail.

_"Ngh! Not now. If they're in the middle of fighting, I might be able to get a direct hit. I just need to wait for my chance. If I can just take out the scary-looking one, then maybe I can save Kaneki-kun."_

The culmination of sounds secedes, while a thought passes through her mind.

_"But then there's also those other guys there. And then there was the sound of glass. Was it something in the room...or is there a window back there? Crap, I won't know until I get back there!"_

After composing herself, she takes off her hat and grey-haired wig and long pink coat that encompassed her elderly disposition and enters into the backside of the cafe. After carefully closing the door behind her, she stealthily creeps toward the room. She could hear the sounds of the two man above her, speaking to someone, as if on a phone. Coming out of the doorway, appears a young man, to her shock. They both make a slight jump upon making eye contact.

"Crap..."

"You…"

He eyes her white hair. "You're the one that bastard spoke of. The one he insisted not to kill."

He stares into her eyes, completely enraptured by its beauty. Moreover, he notices the absence of fear in her eyes.

"Hmph. He was right. You really are crazy…"

Reiya pouts her lips disappointingly. "You mean Omou, don't you! Ara, I told that ass for a brain not to talk badly about me over there! I didn't want to become famous that way!"

His eyes wander onto her tight yellow shirt, as if trying to stare through it.

"He said not to kill you."

He slowly steps toward her, "but he didn't say I couldn't hurt you. You wanna know what he said, actually?"

_"He looks a lot like… Touka-chan."_

She remains silent as he continues his advance. Reiya listens to his words as if she were hearing it from Omou himself, "_I'm not taking any responsibility for the trouble you get yourself into._ ...Those were his words."

The both of them are within a few inches from each other. She chuckles softly.

"You doubt his words?"

"Oh no, I don't doubt him. I was just thinking… how much of a Ghoul you are."

"Hu-"

Before he could take another step, she trips his foot, jarring it to to the right and tucking it backward to disorient him. Grabbing him by the hair as he attempts to maintain his balance, Reiya yanks his face downward and secures him by the neck with her underarm. She pulls down the back of his shirt and kisses him on his bare back. He falls hard onto the floor after she lets go of the hold she had on his neck, yelling in agony.

"Agghh! What the...fuck did you do?! M-My kagune!"

"I bet Omou didn't tell you about that, did he? Of course, he actually doesn't know about this either."

His eyes widen in disbelief. He looks up at her, writhe in pain in his back.

"What's gonna happen to me?"

She turns to him with a stern look on her face.

"Nothing life-threatening. That's what you get for being a perv."

"Fuck you."

"Hmm, Are you...by chance, related to Touka-chan?"

He laughs sinisterly.

"Why don't you ask her that yourself?"

Reiya puts her ear by the door.

"I think backup's coming!"

"Tch! You bastard!"

He hops on his feet and rushes up to the roof.

"Say hi to onii-chan for me!" She puts her hand over her mouth. "Oops..."

Reiya walks into the room on her left to find an injured Touka by the wall, laying up next to a torn couch, ladened with glass shards.

"Touka-chan!" Reiya yelled as she rushes over to her side.

She looks up at Reiya, surprised.

"Reiya."

She wraps her arms around Touka.

"I'm so sorry, Touka-chan!"

"E-Eh? Why are you the one apologizing? It was my fault for being weak."

_"It was my fault for being indecisive. For choosing not to tell you. I thought he'd tell Yoshimura, that idiot!"_

"You're not weak. You're human…just like my brother."

Touka struggles to keep from crying. "Reiya…"

She reciprocates the hug, but is only able to do so for a moment before they hear the sound of footsteps.

Reiya, in a light tone, says "It might be your brother again…"

"Again? Wait, you met Ayato? Did he see you? Did he hurt you anywhe-"

Reiya hushes her with a pinky to her lips.

"Nothing bad. I made sure he wouldn't misbehave."

"Eh?"

"Loser!"

A loud thud could be heard from the hallway. Reiya rubs the back of her head, after crashing onto the floor as a result of the sudden burst of noise emitted by the bird.

Coming through the doorway emerges two tall gentlemen.

"Yoshimura-san! Yomo-san!"

"Eh?" With her back still planted on the floor she stares at the doorway, finding two pairs of legs. She traces them up to their respective faces, and it begins to click.

"Yoshi!"

* * *

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	4. Petal 4

Sorry for the delay! Holy crap this submit button didn't want to work with me...It acted so weird this time around. Thanks for reading! Next chapter will hopefully make up for hos short this one was in comparison to the previous ones! Stay tuned! (o-or not, whatever you wanna do is fine by me...not like I care, b-b-baka!)

**Stalking Darkness**

The room bathed in silence, shortly broken by the constant yelling of a bird chanting "Loser" fervently to distract, if only for a moment, from the dark piercing eyes staring down the face of the foolish poker face'd girl who dared utter Yoshimura's name in such a disrespectful way.

Moments later, as Yoshimura and Yomo spruce up the room of the glass shards from earlier and rearrange the misplaced furniture, Reiya nests herself aside Touka on the couch. Yomo leans his back on the wall and tries to assess the events that occurred.

"So if I'm hearing you right, you saw two scary looking guys come into this shop after Kaneki and Touka went in to the back to speak with another group?"

Reiya's head tilted downward, her eyes seldomly leaving the floor to glance back at Yomo's eyes. "...Mhm."

"And they were both ghouls?"

Reiya nods, embarrassed by what now seemed to her as merely spectating.

Yomo retires his post on the wall to approach her, as she covers her face with her arms in fear. Fully prepared for a punch to the face for her leaving out crucial information about the abduction of their former employee, she closes her eyes in anticipation.

He pats her on the head, her eyes flashing open. "Eh?"

"Don't blame yourself. You're not the one at fault."

She looks away with her lips poked out.

"Of course I am. What happened to Touka happened because of me." she clenches her fist, in anguish. "I had only told Kaneki about them coming, and even then, I knew he wouldn't be able to do anything by him-"

"So you set all this up for your entertainment, is that it?" Touka growled.

"That's not what I'm sa-"

Touka raises from the torn couch and glares at Reiya, her own eyes brimming with disgust.

"Why the hell did you come here in the first place? To have all of us warm up to you so you can expose us when the time was right?"

"Are you allied with the CCG?" Yoshimura adds, bringing her claim straight to the point."

Her eyes wander off to Yoshimura briefly before turning her attention back at Touka.

"...No."

"Tch, you're so full of crap." Her eyes become lost behind the shadow of her hair. "I can't believe I actually came to like you."

Reiya lifts from the couch, their eyes now leveled towards each other, she spreads out her arms submissively.

"Then punch me, Touka." Yoshimura and Yomo look into her eyes, letting out a mild smirk, content with her declaration.

"W-What?"

"If it'll make you feel better…if it'll help you to forgive me, then take it all out on me."

Touka's hands are visibly shaken.

"...Oh yeah? And what good will you do us as a corpse?"

Reiya smiles brightly, hiding the sadness in her heart.

"I'm not that weak a person, am I?"

Touka's eyes dilate when she sees the look of sadness in her eyes, disguised by her gleaming smile.

"Rei...ya."

Tears roll down Reiya's cheeks, neglecting to hide or remove them. Touka then wraps her arms around Reiya's small waist. She could hardly deny the sincerity in her heart. Reiya returns the hug in spades.

"Aghhh, let go of me already!"

Everyone besides Touka share a moment of laughter.

She wipes away her tears and gives a firm look toward Yoshimura, as if she were plastering her heart with steel. "Yoshi-san."

"Would you please not refer to me as that?"

Tilting her head slightly to the side, her pinky finger lightly tapping her chin, she tries again, "Yoshi..ji-san?"

"Please just address me as Yoshimura..." He pleads.

"Yoshimura-san,"

_"Thank the heavens."_

"I've been wanting to speak with you for a while now."

He walks over to the shattered window, his hand attached to the other, planted behind his back. "So I've been told. Now then, what is it you wish to discuss?"

"Do you know a ghoul who goes by the name of Virus?"

His face turns perpendicular to the window. "Now that's a name I hadn't heard in a long time."

_In the 13th ward, Aogiri stronghold...  
_

A few days sped by, with Yamori and co returning from their trip. Omou walks through the tattered hallways of the Aogiri base, in search of the package that those around him had been gossiping about. Just short of passing up the last door to the right, with the hallway leading into a three-way corridor, he stops at the doorway to find a pair of ghouls unzipping a large bag, revealing Kaneki within it.

"Is that the one Kirishima and Yamori brought back from the 20th ward?" Omou asks, loud and firm.

The two ghouls look at him with a resounding nod to confirm his suspicion.

"I've got it from here. Kirishima's still trying to recover from getting his ass gift-wrapped to him."

One of the ghouls start laughing. "Ha, serves that cocky bastard right!"

"Oh you should've seen him when he first came back!" A female ghoul carries on, "He couldn't even use his kakugan, much less his kagune. It was so much fun picking on him!"

"I bet it was. Did he ever say who it was that put him in that pitiful state?"

"He was too pissed off to say. He kept insisting Yamori rammed into his back on the way out of the cafe. Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Yeah."

The ghouls head out, leaving Omou alone with Kaneki. He crouches down and stares at his face, scanning it thoroughly with his nose.

"So this is Rize's scent. ...Hm, on top of being half-human, it's a surprise you haven't become someone's five course meal yet. "

Kaneki yawns loudly as his head sways from side to side. When his eyes finally open, he's greeted by the sight of Omou's kakugan staring coldly at him.

"Boo."

His sudden jolt bumps his head against the wall.

"Agghhh!" He grunts, tenderly rubbing the back of his head.

Omou lets out a light chuckle before deactivating his kakugan.

"Nghh, wh-who are you? Where am I?"

"This is our territory, just like you. That's all you need to know."

He heads toward the doorway, "Get out of that bag and come with me," He glares back at him, "And don't fall behind."

"Wait…where…"

"Hm?" His tone gives away his slight irritation.

"Where's Touka?"

"...Kirishima Touka?"

"Yes. You didn't bring her here too, did you?"

Omou turns toward Kaneki, resting his shoulder on the door hinge. "I wouldn't know. I was only told they brought in the boy with 'her' scent. As if that was supposed to be a mystery around here."

"I see. That's good." Despite his situation, a look of relief overcame him.

Omou looks the other way, thinking for a moment. Looking back at Kaneki, he hesitantly asks, "Have you met a chick with magenta hair in Anteiku, by chance?"

"No, not that I know of."

"I see…" _"__Then she's probably either back in this ward or went searching elsewhere."_

"Is she someone who went there looking for someone? Yoshimura-san I believe it w-"

"So you have seen her?" His brows raise in suspicion.

"Would her name be Rei-" Kaneki stops himself when he notices a sparkle in Omou's eye. "Her hair wasn't magenta, last I saw her. It was white."

Omou stands silent, noticeably surprised by her change in hair color.

"How well acquainted with her are you?"

"She and I are pretty well acquainted. Well, to be honest, she was the one to acquaint herself with me."

Omou sighs in disappointment. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Thanks for the info. Come on, let's go. They shouldn't do anyth-"

"Um, if I may ask, what exactly are you to Reiya?"

His eyes lower as he ponders. "...You'll have to ask her that yourself. As for me, she's someone very important to me."

"Like family?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"That's good."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"She came to Anteiku frequently, sometimes spending hours there. The other day, I saw a really sad look on her face. It seemed like she was lonely."

"Lonely? Did something happen to-...Nevermind. Let's just go already." _"Did something happen to Amaya? Maybe there's something she's not telling me."_

He walks off, signaling him over.

"Yori Omou."

"Eh?"

"My name. Yori Omou. Don't forget it."

They soon walk into a large auditorium, seated by numerous ghouls, as well as an ominous looking one, standing between Eto and a white-haired man dawning a similarly colored coat that hid the majority of his body, laid up on a couch with his head planted over his entangled hands.

Upon noticing his entry into the auditorium, Eto gazes at her fingers, twiddling them in disappointment.

The coat-wearing man stands from the couch and reels his index finger. "Bring the boy here."

"I'll think about it."

"Excuse me?" He scoffed.

"I serve Eto alone. The rest of you here can all go to hell. Especially you, Tatara."

The crowd of ghouls all growl at him. His face remains unchanged at the notion. Kaneki looks around, surprised by Omou's reputation among the ghouls.

"Hmph, then for your sake, I truly hope Eto doesn't lose interest in you. Otherwise, I'd squash you where you stand."

"I hope you'll put those words to use when it comes time for me to put you down."

Eto waves her index finger, attempting to break up the two.

"Now, now, no fighting. There's no reason we should be raising violence against one another."

Omou pats Kaneki on the back and heads back.

"He's all yours."

Omou disappears into the hallway, an image of his father's death lingering in his mind at the hands of Eto, transitioning to one where she plays with her fingers in a highly feminine fashion. He grunts softly, with his hand pressed against his forehead, puzzled by his own emotions.

_"How in the hell am I going to kill her if I'm like this..."  
_

For the next few days, after having been checked out by Tatara, Kaneki is sent to the chambers where the other lower-class ghouls reside.

_Later that evening, in Anteiku... _

Yoshimura gazes at a picture of an infant Eto, resting in his chair with a lamp on the desk to illuminate the picture. Someone knocks on the door.

"It's me." She declares softly.

"Come in."

The door slowly slides open, revealing the radiantly white-haired beauty before him.

"Good evening, Tarayo Reiya."

* * *

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	5. Petal 5

**Death's Waltz and A Rose's Stench**

Perched on his neatly pressed bed, Reiya pouts as she waits for Yoshimura to begin.

"...Now then, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you come to learn about my connection to the man you're seeking?"

Reiya stares out the window next to her, seeking refuge in the moon's radiance.

"My dad...he was a scientist. He didn't work for CCG or any other notable organization. He was an independent man, always wanting to take things into his own hands." She pauses momentarily, looking back at Yoshimura. "He dreamt of one day bringing humans to a common ground with ghouls. To help us understand that you are people just like us. Sure you have some bad ghouls, but the same goes for humans too! That's what he'd always say. Nowadays, I try not to think about what makes us different and more about what makes us the same. He etched that philosophy into all three of us, me, Amaya, and Omou. He was the one who found us all."

She raises from the bed, laying her hand upon his cheek, "Even though you're cold-blooded," she brings her hand down pointing at his heart, "You can still feel warmth right here."

She backs away and returns to the bed.

"Now what does my father have to do with me finding you? Our father went traveling often with us through the different wards. As he went from ward to ward, he'd go out at night looking for ghoul activity. He would always bring a mask with him along with a spray-can that smelled like death. Anything he learned about ghouls he would tell me and my sister about it, before jotting it all down into his journal: their names, their kakuja type, and even their tendencies. Eventually, when we were living in the 24th ward, he learned about a man named Kuzen who was apparently apart of an organization of ghouls known as V. He also found out about-" She begins to shudder at the thought.

Ladened with pity, Yoshimura bows his head.

"I apologize for you having to bring up such painful memories for the sake of enlightening me. If you are here, then you must know that I am-"

"Kuzen. A ghoul who's betrayed his organization for the sake of his late wife and daughter, and goes by the nickname, Owl. He had been missing since the death of his wife, with the daughter left missing, according to my father's report. That's all he could gather from his eavesdropping. He was always disturbingly good at that..."

"Then how did you come to learn that I was here?"

"...My brother told me that there was someone who went by the nickname, Owl, hiding within the 20th ward. When I got here, I heard rumors from other ghouls that he owned a cafe called Anteiku. That's when I learned about your name, along with everyone else."

Yoshimure interrupts her with a brief laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just rare to see someone so young, yet determined these days! It must have been a long journey for you, tracking you down. I applaud your resilience. So then, I presume your father must've also come to learn of him?" She nods. "He was one of V's treasures. One of their most valuable members. Virus was his name. When I had asked for it, he told me that it it was more convenient for the name to match with the organization, even though he could care less what befell V. That was probably a favorable circumstance. If they had sent him to eliminate me, I would very likely not be here."

Reiya looks closely into Yoshimura's eyes, noticing the fear within. "How could someone as strong as you even say something like that? How dangerous is he really?"

"You tell me, miss. How dangerous is someone who can control their kakuhou at will?"

"Control their...kakuhou? You mean the sac-like thing inside a ghoul's body that allows them to use their kagune?"

"Yes."

"Then...wait! Does that mean...h-he can…"

"He is capable of changing his kagune at will, making him neither of the existing five types, but a combination of them."

Reiya's shock held back anything she had wanted to say.

"To him, for anyone to know of my existence and yet still breathe exemplified the difference in strength and resilience between the two of us. Because no one who's ever discovered his existence ever lived for longer than a day. And that," Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "Was your father's greatest mistake."

Her tears become more apparent, as she begins to understand the circumstances behind her father's death, and just how dangerous this person she's chasing after truly is.

"...I don't get it. My dad was always so careful. He would never leave the house unless he was 100% prepared, no matter what. How could he have-"

"It wasn't your father's fault. There was no way he would've known until it was too late. You see, Virus possesses incredible senses, certainly stronger than my own. He always keeps his eyes and ears closed, which would normally lead you to believe that he cannot see or hear, but in reality, he is doing both at a ferociously advanced rate. Given enough time, he could discern the heartbeat of any living being within the ward. We often relied on his ability to locate certain targets."

She remains silent.

"That is how he has been able to remain under the radar for all this time. Not even the CCG know of his existence. He's essentially a ghost."

"That's a lie."

"Hm?"

She raises from the bed once more, grabbing him by the collar.

"Then what the hell am I still doing here?"

"About the part where he kills people within a day! If that's the case, then what the hell am I still doing here?"

"Hm? You mean that-"

"I looked him right in the eyes!"

Her anger settles down when she notices how taken aback Yoshimura was at this revelation. She releases her grip on his collar.

"How long ago was this?"

"Eight years ago. I found my father laying on the floor, in a pool of blood. His chest was ripped open, with everything else in it except his heart." Her hand immediately grips her other arm to calm the trembling that arose. "And beyond the darkness I saw him...His cold remorseless eyes. They were all I could see before he ran off."

Yoshimura looks away with disgust, disappointed in his own kind.

"...Six years later, he came back. He broke into our house, the one our father used to live in, and knocked me and my sister unconscious. When I woke up, I was strapped to a bed, with my sister in the same situation next to me. That was the last I saw of her, but I can't remember what happened after that...I thought if I found Virus, I could find out where my sister was. I want to know what happened to her. What happened in that moment...If he really did kill her, why did he leave me to live? What was the purpose in taking us both?"

He brings his hand up to his chin, pondering.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answers. He was perfectly capable of killing you. I knew him long before you were born, and I can only answer for the man I knew back then. And even then, I never truly got to know him. I'm pretty sure he never got to know anyone either. I can only hope what I've told you has helped to quench your thirst, if only a little."

She rubs her eyes before heading for the door.

"No, you were a great help."

"What do you plan to do now?"

"...I don't know. Maybe look through what my father left behind. Surely, there had to have been something he left behind for me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Me and him were the only humans in the house, since Amaya and Omou were ghouls. He never did tell me how he was able to keep them fed."

"Your sister...was a ghoul?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you that? Yeah, she is. My brother's one too. Anyway, good night!"

As she makes her exit, Yoshimura laughs to himself.

"_For a ghoul to have been the one to kill your father, you still seek out for an answer, without losing your perspective on ghouls. You really are something special… Just like a certain someone..."_

_In the 13th ward…_

Omou is on his way back to his room after checking up on Kaneki and the other lowly ghouls. Speeding around the corner of the hallway, comes Eto, she bumps into him.

"Kyaa! Oww…"

He lets out a brief sigh.

"What are you doing running around at this time of night?"

"To find you, of course! Ahh, haha, I probably would've been better off sending someone after you, but I wanted to deliver it in person."

Having heard her behind her masked demeanor, the sound of her voice puzzled all the moreso. It began to show on his face.

"What's wrong?"

His head recedes from the gutter, replying, "It's nothing. What did you want to tell me?"

"I'll be leaving here with Tatara tomorrow. And I'm leaving you in charge while we're away."

"I'm not exactly the best person to be in charge of so many ghouls..."

"You'll be fine. They know to respect whoever I lead in charge."

"That's probably because they were all worthy of it..."

"You can decide for yourself tomorrow."

She begins to walk off.

"_Now might be my best chance."_ "Hey, wait!"

"What is it?"

"Couldn't I go with you...instead of Tatara?"

She remains silent, to his surprise, expecting a typically quick response.

Finally the silence breaks, "Sorry, no can do!"

"Eh?"

With her arms folded, she waves her finger at him.

"We're expecting the doves to show up eventually."

"The doves?!"

"I need someone to stay behind and protect this base. And I believe you're more capable than Tatara at dealing with them."

He looks away, unsure of her confidence.

She inches toward him.

"You don't feel the same? After those bold words you spouted a few days ago?"

"It's different when someone other than you actually believes those words."

"Then get used to it. If it was just bravado, I might have to place it elsewhere, no matter how interested I might be in you."

He remains silent as he scans her face.

"_There wasn't anything wrong with her face… or her arms and legs...so why...is she hiding them?"_

"Good night!"

"...Good night."

As she whimsically prances about, he heads off into his room, gradually sliding the down the door on his back, down to the floor, before planting his face onto his hand.

"Why does it feel like she's pulling me into something terrible..."

_The next day…_

The ghouls all see Eto and Tatara off. Eto notices him waving timidly in the distance, and heads over to him. The two of them go up to the rooftop to discuss in private.

"Good luck!"

He gives her a look of displeasure. Finally swallowing his fears, he bows to her.

"Get up."

"It'd be better if the others see that I'm capable of being-"

"I said get up."

Her voice was noticeably stern the second time, to which he swiftly gets up, to his surprise. Even more to his surprise, was the familiar silken sound he had heard when he was in her quarters, looking up to find her discreetly lowering her bandages.

"You're not aloud to bow. I made it perfectly clear. You're not my subordinate, and I do not own you."

She gives a long, nonchalant smile.

"But I appreciate it!"

The brightness of her smile brings out one from him, albeit much dimmer, yet not void of it. He sees her and Tatara off. As he returns to the room where everyone is gathered, they gather around him, with a lack of utterance in their eyes.

_"Respect my_ ass..."

He thinks about the words Eto shared with him briefly, fueling his confidence as he strolls through the group of ghouls.

Upon reaching the door frame of the entrance, he shouts, "Carry on with your duties, everyone."

Unfortunately, one of the ghouls stand up, scoffing at him. "Why the fuck should I listen to a raving piece of shit like yo-"

The ghoul finds himself hovering in the air, held up to the face by Omou. "Because I said so." Two swift jolts of pain rush through his body, before falling to the ground, aching in pain. Omou stretches out his arm, releasing the parts that he had robbed from the ghoul.

A tongue and a pair of mutilated testicles fall to the ground.

He screams in anguish, as Omou glares around him, making sure to look each ghoul in the eyes.

"Does anyone else have an issue that they'd like to discuss?"

Everyone stares silently, albeit with a much more fearful look in their eyes. As Omou heads back to his quarters, his quarters, he hears an ominous sound in the hallway. Coming around the corner, he finds Noro before him. Omou immediately shudders at his size, but soon snaps into his senses.

"What the hell do you want?"

In an instant, he bows before Omou, taking him completely by surprise.

"Uhhhh, thanks...I appreciate the support."

He continues bowing…

"...You can get up now…"

_Later that day, in the evening..._

Omou heads over to Eto's quarters, and to his surprise, it was already unlocked. Cautious of a potential trespasser, he very slowly creaks the door open. He finds no one.

"I might be able to learn more about her. I shouldn't pass this up."

Within her room were a couple of torn dressers on the wall to the left, bookshelves on the opposite corner, hugging the wall opposite the door. He looked through each of these objects, finding nothing of note aside from scruffy clothes and olden books. He then heads for the bed, reaching under and making contact with a an open cardboard box. Upon pulling it out, he sees a giant array of...panties and used clothes. Polkadots. Stripes. Laced. He stares at them plainly, puzzled to see them in a box instead of the dressers, as one held her numerous gowns while the other was empty.

Noticing the mild stench from her clothes, he smells her panties, which unfortunately became the last thing he did that day.

_The next day..._

The ghouls all scramble in search of their temporary commander. Finally, one of them finds him in Eto's room, with his body laid out like a corpse and his face buried within the box he had been confiscating.

"Wake up! We've got trouble outside!"

He runs over to him and shakes him up.

"I'm coming...but first."

He nonchalantly pulls out one of the panties in plain sight as his head emerges from the box, cheeks flushed to his ignorance.

"Why do these smell so good? Aren't they supposed to be dirty?"

The ghoul runs off, disgusted by his leader's carelessness.

"Hmm, what's gotten into him..."

He stares at the panties he's holding firmly in his hand, recalling the days he used to spend with Reiya and Amaya. "...It always felt gross picking up their panties after them... yet I don't mind these at all."

Omou begins to smile softly. "She's just as lousy as Reiya. Good thing I happened to stop by."

He places the panties back into the box, and brings it with him.

Moments later, he heads outside, mortified at what he finds.

At least a dozen ghouls were scattered on the ground, unresponsive; lifeless. Not only were their hearts missing, but also their respective kakuhous. Omou begins to back away, when a shadow appears before him, larger than himself. He turns around to find Noro silently staring at him.

"...What happened here?" He points to the forest, with his other hand covering his left eye.

"Kaneki? Tch, the bastard must've found a way to escape." _"Or is this someone else? Could they have taken him?" "_Did he leave alone?"

Noro shakes his head.

The irritation showed on his face. "Come on, we have to get moving."

The two sprint into the forest, unaware of what might lie ahead.

_"It hasn't even been a day yet since I've been left in charge, and now this happens. Damn it!"_

* * *

Find me on Deviantart or Tumblr to find updates and info on delays!

Super sorry for getting this up late! I had posted this update to let anyone who's following this know that I'd be a little (obviously much more late than I said in the post :D)

For those who are just now able to see the after comments and such, super sorry! I'm just now learning to update the chapters. And here I thought they just autosaved!

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	6. Petal 6

**Lost and Found**

Omou and Noro speed through the forest in pursuit of Kaneki. They had already uncovered the bodies of the bin brothers, hidden lazily behind a bush near the entrance to the forest, in the same dismantled condition as the others.

"...Kaneki isn't alone. He most likely has others with him. This is either an attempted escape, or someone's showed up to take him."

Not long after, Noro presses his hand against Omou, yanking him back. They both slide against the grass down to a screeching halt. A soft, swooning voice of laughter permeates through the air. The both of them merely stand and listen as they try to discern its origin. "I'm afraid he's already gone."

"That voice." The voice had stricken his ear in a familiar tone.

"Further ahead lies only turmoil for you and your friend. Ne.e, you wouldn't want to die a pointless death, would you? I would much rather avoid the bloodshed, if you don't mind."

Omou moves Noro's hand away. "Keep moving. She could be tricking us. Just stay alert."

They continue onward through the forest. A few more trees away, they reach the end, emerging onto a sidewalk in front of a three-way intersection.

"Eh?" Noro's left scratching his head whilst Omou scans around for Kaneki.

The sultry laughing continues from the forest behind them. "Fufufu, we'll keep in touch."

"Damn it." _"She completely played us."_

Omou runs back into the forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person behind the voice. After a frivolous search, however, he learned no more than what he knew before, only expending his energy in the whole endeavor. Noro heads in the direction of the headquarters.

"Oh yeah...we can't be gone for too long…" _"Just great. _He sluggishly follows Omou home.

__

_Back at headquarters…_

Omou punches into a wall, venting out his frustration in his room. He strides back and forth in his room, debating on what to do next.

"Shit. Fuck. I fucked up. I fucked up so much. I fucked everything up."

Or not...

"It hasn't even been a day and I've already fucked up this much. Kaneki. Kaneki Ken. I have to bring him back. I have to...bring him back...at all costs." His sclera begins to turn black. "...or she'll kill me."

His kagune begins to shed from his back. An image of his father appears in his mind, as if to hold him back, but the image phases out to one where his life is sucked away, at the hands of Eto, gazing back at Omou, with the same grin she wore when he met her for the first time officially. She paces toward him, licking the blood off her fingers.

"Mmm, your daddy was deeelic~" An inch apart from each other, she begins to coil around him, with her arms taking the shape of a large owl, encaging her prey. "I wonder if you are too." She playfully flicks her tongue against his lower lip.

Thrusting himself onto the bed, the thought dissipates like a cloud when Omou bites his own arm. He peels the flesh right off, leaving only the bone left on that portion of his arm. He closes his eyes as he consumes his piece in the same motion a goat chomps his grass. He takes a deep breath as his stress begins to alleviate itself.

"Who am I kidding...they could care less what happens to him. It's me who's stressing out. If anything, it's the fact that our little friend murdered a few pawns along the way that's going to cause trouble." _"And I would hate for this one to get to the queen before I do."_

He gets up from the bed and walks toward the window, overseeing a park that extends into the city. "They couldn't have taken him far. If I hurry, I might be able to find them somewhere in the 13th ward."

Suddenly, he hears a hard knock on the door, hiding his bitten arm behind his back.

"The door's unlocked."

In comes Yamori, with a grin stretched across his face. "So, it hasn't even been a day yet, and you're already screwin' up on the job."

_"__Deja vu."_

"I wonder how we ought to deal with a punk who can't even watch his sheep?"

"Shut it, Yamori. I'm not in the mood to tend to your gripes right now. And besides…"

He quickly shuts the curtains, glaring at Yamori ferociously. "This isn't the best time to pick a fight with me."

Yamori remains unfazed by Omou's shift in attitude. "How adorable." Yamori proceeds to take his leave, imparting a few encouraging words. "Well, it'd be a shame if I were to get to him before you do. I won't accept any whining if he winds up in my tender care."

"...Yeah...tender." _"If you can call it that."_

After giving his arm time to regenerate, he leaves his quarters, strolling through the building left to his thoughts.

_"__Here I am, about to get myself needlessly involved in an affair that was vastly out of my control. The situation might not have changed, even if she were around. Then again, it is __**her**__ fault that I'm doing this in the first place…"_

Moments later, he knocks on the door, labeled 'Noro'. Noro is then greeted by a serious glare. "I'm heading out to find him. You're in charge while I'm away." He balls up his hand and squeezes it. "No, actually, keep it. You or Tatara would've been a better fit anyway."

Noro points at Omou's heart, balling up his hand, before bowing once more to him.

_"__Is he talking about the strength of my heart? Why in the hell do I have to keep hearing about this?"_

"...Thanks." 

Miles away from the hideout, in a remote, ragged building, Kaneki regains consciousness to the sight of a slender, teal haired girl and a man wearing a bright white suit. He hears the girl's voice looming in the air.

"Fu fu, you were right, he does smell ravishing. Perhaps this would be what humans call a fine wine."

The man in the suit smiles at the sight of the girl staring at him curiously. "Indeed."

Kaneki gives a loud scream as he raises up, butting heads with the girl.

"Gahh! Owwie…"

Kaneki tries to recover his bearings, only to be stunted by the man's stern voice.

"This is good. Now all we need is the other one. It'll be a shame to have to remove her from the world at such a fruitful age. She was showing much potential. It'll almost be a tragedy, for someone of her strength to be plucked when yet so many undeserving of life yet wander and frolic."

"Indeed so, father."

Recovering from his headbutt, he looks back at the teal-haired girl, whom aside from her face, he could not see beyond the white cloak that covers the rest of body. He then slides his eyes back over at the man.

"Wh-Where am I? What's going on?!"

The man looks Kaneki in the eye, a piercing look persisted within them, screening his presence straight through him. "This will **be** your final resting place."

The shock in Kaneki's eyes quickly turn to fear. His arms begins to shake, his knees quiver, much to the girl's chagrin. Not an ounce of doubt was shed on his declaration, as he could already sense how strong the individual before him was. All through his eyes, the lack of remorse, the lack of acknowledgement of Kaneki's life.

"Aww, you didn't have to break it to him like that!" She gives him a harsh slap on the back, yielding a swift cringe from him. "Don't worry, he was only joking! I'm only going to be snacking on you forever!" She says with a straight face, as if there wasn't supposed to be anything odd about it.

_"__That's not any different!"_

"...Um, who are you?" The shape of her eyes change to a more flirtatious tone.

"Nee, do you reeeally wanna know?"

He looks away for a moment, before looking back at her with a definitive gaze."

"If you don't mind."

"Fu fu, suit yourself!"

__

_Elsewhere…_

In a small, dark red car, Reiya sifts through the streets of the 19th ward.

Reiya recalls what Yoshimura said a few nights back.

_Three days ago…_

_-  
"Before you go, there is one more thing I want to add." Yoshimura comments, as Reiya reaches for the door. "If, after your venture you still wish to pursue Virus, here is a clue that might aid you. He only wears white. He considers it to be the embodiment of sorrow."  
-_

__A distinct rubbing sound emits, as Reiya tightens her grip on the steering wheel, as if strangling it. As for the person sitting next to her, only a look of worry and slight pity came across their eyes.

_Two days ago…_

_-  
In Anteiku, the employees have just finished their conversation regarding the rescue of Kaneki, in light of the news that Aogiri has acquired him. Reiya walks into the shop right on time for Yoshimura to declare, "Touka-chan, I believe it would be best if you left with Reiya-chan."_

_"__What?! But… she doesn't even know we're about to-"_

_"__She was already on her way there, weren't you, miss Tarayo?"_

_She looks away, embarassed and with her lips poked out. "Geez, I wish you wouldn't blurt that name out like that…" She points her finger at him angrily. "And besides, I told you not to tell anyone else!"_

_"__My apologies, ma'am. These ears have grown quite old. Do forgive me if I end up misconstruing my words."_

_"__Why, yo-"_

_"__Reiya."_

_"__H-Hm?" She looks away, still unsure of how to act towards her. "What is it?"_

_"__Are you really going? To help Kaneki?"_

_"__...It happens to be on the way."_

_"__Right, cause the 13th ward is right next to the 24th."_

_"__Sh-Sh-Shut the hell up already! B-B-Bakayoshi! That's it! That's what I'm calling you now!"_

_Everyone shares a light laugh, but none more apparent than Touka's, bringing a relieved smile to Reiya's face._

_"__It's funny." Touka mentions lightly._

_"__Hm?"_

_"__There's still so much I don't know about you."_

_"__Then perhaps you two can both learn about each. But the choice is up to Touka, and even then Reiya hasn't given her answer ye-"_

_"__If she wants to come, I'm not going to stop her. Just as long as you know that her coming along with me won't make the trip there any safer."_

_Reiya's eyes hover to Touka's, offering an unusually timid gaze._

_"__I'll...go with her."_

_Reiya spins around, with her back now facing everyone so as to hide her elated smile._

_"__I'm not wasting any time getting out of here. I'll come by in a couple hours to pick you up unless you change your mind."_

_She slowly walks toward the door, struggling as she comes closer. Finally she turns back around and bows toward Touka._

_"__Thank you!"_

_Touka blushes mildly, looking away from her._

_"__Just get going already before I change my mind…"_

_"__Excuse me, miss?" A purple-haired suited gentleman waltzes past Touka, lifting up Reiya's hand delicately._

_"__Umm...who're yo-" Upon closer inspection… "Ohh, you're the Gourmet I've heard so much about!"_

_"__C'est vrai! I do go by such a name around here. It would pain me to see such a name be spread in such vile words to a lady of your stature. You're off to save Kaneki. With a lady of such passion, I can only ask but to-"_

_Touka pulls Tsukiyama by his suit. "Step the hell back." Touka growls. "It's just us girls going. You keep your filthy hands off of her."_

_"__Touka…"_

_"__Afflitto! Oh what a shame! Rejected again!"_

_"__Umm, you're still going to be able to search for Kaneki with us, we'll just be in separate groups. We're all in this together. So best of luck to ya!" Reiya throws him a thumbs up gesture, reinvigorating his confidence._

_She punches Tsukiyama in the stomach, bringing him to his knees, to her surprise. He lost his confidence._

_"__Well, um...that was unexpected." Everyone's left scratching their heads, except for Touka and Nishiki who struggle to keep from laughing._

_Reiya pats Touka on the shoulder. "See you in a bit." Touka nods in agreement.  
-_

Fast forwarded to the present, Touka struggles to get a word in when seeing Reiya in such a panicked mood.

"...Reiya."

"Hm?" Finally breaking the silence, she asks plainly, "What are you?"

"You're wondering how I was able to get through your brother, right?" She nods reluctantly. "...To be honest, I'm not so sure myself. I mean, I'd like to think that I'm human, but who really knows? ...I don't know why, but I have the ability to destroy RC cells."

Touka's eyes raise in shock. "You can...do that? Is that what you did to Ayato?"

"Yes, but don't worry he's fine! I figured out he was probably your brother, so I didn't try to kill him. All I did was paralyze his kakuhou."

"Paralyze? How do you go from killing to paralyzing?" Reiya remains silent, unsure herself.

"So part of this trip is about you finding out more about yourself?"

"Mhm."

"...Well, you've got me along, so it can't be all that bad."

Reiya smiles softly.

"Yeah, you might be right." As they glide through a series of streets, they eventually make their way to the 18th ward. 

_Back in the 13th ward…_

Kaneki is left alone with the girl from earlier, only this time his arms and legs were wrapped in chains. "Nee, it's time for us to get started, Ka-ne-ki-kuuun."

"No, stop!" She yanks him by the collar from the flat table, throwing him onto the lab chair next to it. She plants herself atop him, her legs coiled around his hips, arms stretched around his neck. He could feel her warm breath covering his lips. She then carefully sniffs him, savoring his scent. His struggles were null thanks to the chains. He was her's to do whatever she wanted with. "Fu fu, everything's going to be okay."

She glides her lips over to his ear, with her soft, sultry voice singing to it. "Nee, just think of me as a vampire. Your vampire girlfriend. I need blood to survive. But not just anyone's blood. I need yours." She slides her tongue against the upper part of the lobe, engulfing it with her lips right after. Kaneki struggles to hide his extended moans. Eventually he exhales delicately onto her cheek upon her sucking on his ear. His light flails had already long since stopped.

"You wouldn't let your girlfriend die, knowing that she's dependent on your blood, nee?"

"No...I wouldn't." She gives his ear one last slow, long tug before pulling away. She then begins to smooch his cheeks, slowly zooming towards his chin. In the same instance, thoughts of Reiya had come to mind. The first time he had seen her come into Anteiku. It begins to haze as she moves down to the base of his chin, massaging her tongue against the outline, interjecting a slight nibble of her lips with every stroke of her tongue. He thought about Reiya's bright smile after declaring him a human despite his identity as a one-eyed ghoul.

Finally, "But, still." Kaneki says softly, still well under her trance.

"Oh? Is it that you'd rather not roleplay?" From his shoulders, she slides her fingertips gently across his cheeks. "Would you prefer it be for real?"

She inches her lips closer to his, smothering them with her warm, moist breath. The absence of coffee in its scent reminds him of the last time he saw Reiya. An inch close from accidentally sealing a kiss, he could feel and smell her breath. _"That's right. Back then...I really wanted to kiss her. I wanted her...to inject me with her happiness."_ He snaps to his senses, but he was too late. She had already closed the distance, and their lips began to make contact.

But to both their surprise, she instinctively pushes him back abruptly, causing her to completely lose her group on him and fall onto the floor flat.

Her cheeks become flushed. "Wh-wh-wha?!"

"What happened?"

For the first time, her attitude soured as she looks back at Kaneki, void of the affection she had before. Her smile became twisted.

"I see. So you're just like all the rest. You've already been claimed by her. It'll all be okay soon though."

_"But, in reality...she wasn't happy."_

"I'll be taking you back, along with everyone else she's taken from me."

_"I wonder why..."_

She throws off her white, revealing remnants of her bare skin, but not before it becomes encased in a gooey white substance. Steaming sounds could be heard as it continues to meld with her skin. The white object dissipates, leaving behind a white dust. In the same instant, his chair gets launched onto a wall, causing him to fall off and stumble onto the ground. The white object reappears on his back, twisting his head sideways. In an airy, blazingly light tone, the object speaks into his ear.

"If you want her back so badly, I will reunite you two. But until then, you belong to me."

Kaneki's eyes dilate to her declaration. Her mouth unzips, only to find it hollow, which made it all the more terrifying when she takes a large gaping bite out of his face, ripping off his eye socket and cheek flesh.

His screams could be heard across the small building, but outside of it, was complete silence.

-

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	7. Petal 7

**Midnight Rendezvous**

Two days met Omou, as he searches meticulously for Kaneki. He runs from building to building, attempting to sense for Kaneki, to no success. Finally, he confesses aloud, "I should've brought Noro. He might've been able to pick up a scent where I couldn't." He looks off onto the blazing cars seemingly zooming across the streets. He recalls a few years back, before the death of his foster father, Hiroshi.

_Five years ago…_

_In the middle of watching a movie with Reiya in her room, he excuses himself. "Oh come on! Not you too!" "It'll only be a moment. Just taking a piss."_

_She sticks out her tongue, grossed out._

_"You don't gotta say it like that you creep! Hmmm, hey!" She calls out to him._

_Omou looks back toward her. "Hm-"_

_She launches a pillow into his face, causing him to keel over to the side onto the floor. She launches another pillow with such brutality that the door closes shut._

_"Tch! God what a bitch..."_

In her room, Reiya pauses the movie. "It's no fun if you're both missing it... What's taking Amaya so long in the kitchen anyway?"

_On his way to the bathroom, he passes up Hiroshi's room, hard at work in his studies in the room down the hall from Reiya's. Across from the stairs, he enters into the bathroom._

He's greeted by a sudden, subtle gasp along with a light shutting of the toilet seat.

_It was Amaya, knees propped up against the toilet with a long light blue shirt that hung loosely around her shoulders, offering a gaze that lent itself partially to despair as well as embarrassment. Omou could only stare as she uncontrollably hurls into the toilet._

_"W-What are you doing? Did he give you human food by mistake or-"_

_Her lips move, and he seals his own tightly. "Don't tell anyone."_

_"H-Huh?"_

_"Please don't tell."_

_He averts his eyes._

"I didn't see anything."

She smiles lightly in relief. "Thanks." She quietly explains to him her habit of not eating anything that Hiroshi gave her. Human or ghoul, it didn't matter. She couldn't live with the thought of thriving off of someone else's life.

"How are you keeping yourself fed then?"

_She begins to slowly roll up her shorts, as he signals her to stop._

"You don't have t-" "It's okay. I'd rather you see it."

She lifts them just high enough to reveal a portion of her thigh that's missing, in the midst of regenerating.

The thought shook Omou, but not visibly, when he returns to Reiya's room as if nothing happened. Amaya returns shortly after, sickly in appearance, but apparently not enough for Reiya to notice. Reiya flicks the remote and resuming the movie, while Omou stares over at Amaya. He thinks back to when they all first met, a smile soon overtaking him.

In front of another building, this time seemingly abandoned, he proceeds to walk into it. "Please don't let my fears be right."

Three days later, in the secluded building…

Kaneki sits strapped to a chair, head tilted down, across from the white-suited man.

"Now, who am I?"

"Y-You're-"

In a single, swift motion, the man hurls a wine glass into the air, smashing it apart with the tips of his fingers, blood ensuing from the surface of his fingers, and grabbing two of the sharpest shards, before plunging them deep into Kaneki's eyes, right through his retinas but short of his brain. Grabbing two more, he jams them into both of his ears in a single drum-striking motion.

"WHO AM I?!"

"YOU'RE MASTER V!"

"Hmph." He lifts Kaneki by the hair and kicks over two buckets under his feet. It's not until he plummets onto them when he would learn the pain they would cause him, two-fold. One bucket was freezing cold, while the other was scaldingly hot.

"Who is your MASTER?!"

"Amaya-dono!"

"Who is your SAVIOR?!"

"Amaya-sama!"

"Who do you BELONG to?!"

"Amaya-chan!"

Content, he heads toward the door, Amaya soon emerging as he leaves, dressed in a white gown that comes down to just above her thighs.

"You poor thing." She rubs his cheeks gently. "Do you want the pain to go away?"

He nods his head swiftly. "As you wish."

She tilts the chair back, kicking aside the hot and cold buckets. She then frees him from the constraints of the chair, laying him out across the floor as she pins him down with her body. With her backside in plain view of his eyes covered in tight white shorts, she begins to tenderly lick his left foot, already well softened by the heat of the bucket. To her, it would be a mercy to him to start there. It wouldn't be long before she sank her teeth into its squishy soles.

As she sucked and bit onto her prey, Kaneki, he discreetly groaned in pain, disguising it with gasps of pleasure, as false as they may have been.

_Four days later…_

Reiya and Touka reach the 14th ward, and it wouldn't be long until they would reach their destination. Reiya lets out a loud yawn.

"Ahh, geez, this is the fourth time we've had to stop now!"

"It's ok, it'll be the last one I swear!" Reiya throws Touka a reassuring thumbs-up. "Besides, you can't be in that much of a rush to get your ass kicked by your brother..."

"Sh-Shut up!"

As they exit the car from a small parking lot, a couple of ghouls walk by, noticing the both of them. They call them out angrily. "Hey, hey, the hell're you two doin' around these parts?"

Touka growls accordingly. "None of your damn bus-" Or at least she would've, if it weren't for Reiya suffocating her with her hand.

"We're terribly sorry! You see, we're extremely tired and we're hoping to catch some zzzs!" She points at the building behind them. "You see, that's where we're headed. We weren't trying to intrude on you strong, capable men!"

As if her words had gone through their ears, one of them lunges for her hair, to which Touka intervenes, kicking them backward. "Are you done with your negotiating now?"

"Might've went a bit too far with that last part. Ehehe...Ah well. It gets tiring trying to talk down these brutes."

Touka immediately appears behind one of them, her kagune already unsheathed. The ghoul barely has any time to react before she punctures him through the shoulder. Seemingly unscathed by the blow, however, he grabs her by the kagune and launches her into the air. Reiya in the meantime, yawns into her hand.

"Tch, come now! Am I really that boring?" He confidently sheds his kagune from below his shoulders..

_"A koukaku, eh?"_

"You look like you've got just the right meat on the bone. I dunno if that bitch has been saving you up or somethin', but surely she won't be mindin' me getting a ta-" She disappears from in front of him. "Wh-Wha-" An image of her briefly appears by his shoulder. In the next instance, a sound of puncturing, and soon after bursting, resounded within him. Reiya stares into her hand, saddened, as the ghoul behind her falls down to the ground, well aware that he would not get back up.

Covering it up with a big cheesy smile, she calls for Touka. "Hurry up already! I'm about to pass out!"

The other ghoul, with his kagune protruding from his lower back, sees an opportunity, charging for Reiya.

"Ngh! Reiya watch out!"

"Too late!" At a blazing speed, he swings at Reiya.

_Five years ago…_

_In the attic room of their late father's house, Omou charges at Reiya in a similar stance to the one currently assaulting her._

_"Your blood is mine." She dodge rolls away from him. "Ngh! Just give me a second! I'll go down and get you some-_

"Only you can satisfy my appetite, Reiya." His kakugan begins to show. "Die." He unsheathes his kagune and rains a flurry of black shards at her. The crucial ones each pin her by the clothing to the wall.

_As he approaches her, she begins to cry. "You idiot!"_

_He looks away, pained by her tears. "Are you seriously telling me that this was all a joke to you?! Was pretending to be my brother fun for you? Well now I'm nice and ripe for you! So I hope you're happy you big fake idi-"_

_"Why don't you just shut the fuck up?!"_

_"Eh?" She notices a sense of fear in his eyes. Hesitation. Uncertainty._

_"I need to...make you strong. Really strong. That's the only way I'll be able to continue living as your brother. You need to...be able to kill someone like me."_

_"Oni-" He slaps her across the face._

_"Just because he's dead, it doesn't give you any more of a right to call me that. That will never change."_

_Her tears begin to dissipate, evaporated by her face, now slightly red with anger. "Then what the hell am I supposed to call you! To me you're my-" He covers her mouth tightly._

_"Omou." With his other hand gliding to her barren thighs, "Just call me Omou."_

_She closes her eyes fearfully, giving out a frightful yelp as he slides his fingers up her thigh. "I am not your brother."_

With a fierce grip, she grabs his advancing hand, tearing off a piece of cloth from her magenta pajama shirt. A loud smack echoed throughout the attic.

As if knocked to his senses, brings both his hands down.

"Fine, you perverted bastard." She gives him a hard shove, closing the distance by yanking him toward her by the shirt. "I'll go along with your stupid game, but only because you're too much of a dumbass to accept my heart. But get one thing clear, you will always be my onii-chan." She grabs his flying fist, shocking him with a ferocious fire in her eyes. "And don't you forget that."

_Oddly relieved, he heads for the stairs. "So long as you understand how much of an idiot I am, I don't care what you call me behind my back."_

_She lets go of him and walks a good distance past him before stopping in front of him._

"What about Amaya? You're not going to train her too?"

_"There's not enough time. You can do that yourself. After I'm done with you, that is."_

_"Hmph...Come at me again. The way you did earlier."_

_"...Already?"_

"Mmm." She nods. He sighs, annoyed by the resolve of a girl who was supposed to be a simple defenseless girl raised by a weak defenseless scientist. He begins to laugh at his previous presumption.

"Fine then. As you wish."

_She thinks briefly to herself, "Any normal ghoul would probably come at me just like this."_

_"Get ready." He backs up to the opposite side of the room._

_Omou makes his move._

"I'll let that facade be my stre-"

Conversely to his previous movement, he disappears from her sight. "What the- kyaah!"

From behind her, he holds Reiya up by the hair.

"Aughh, let go already!"

"Didn't I tell you? You need to at least be strong enough to deal with someone like me. I won't settle for anything else." He lets go, as the both of them return to their positions.

"Are you ready to go again?"

The flashback secedes, as she replies to his question from then. "It's as you say..." Reiya blocks the force of the ghoul's kagune with her bare hand. "I need to at least be able to keep up with you."

From her contact, the kagune dissolves from the tip. The ghoul yanks back, yelling in pain and terror. Reiya lets out a speck of a grin. "So that settles it then."

"He's all yours, Touka-chan~" Touka effortlessly dislodges the ghoul's head from his body, collapsing to the ground like akin to a mannequin. Not wasting a breath, Touka grabs her by the shirt. "You trying to get yourself killed or something?! Next time just stay the hell back!"

"But then I wouldn't have learned something good!" Reiya jests, sticking out her tongue goofily. "Besides, it wouldn't have been fun if I just stood back and dodged everything."

Touka reminds herself of Reiya's similar behavior back at Anteiku. "...I guess stuff like this wouldn't faze you, huh?" She lets go of Reiya, as she walks over toward the entrance to the hotel.

"C'mon, let's rest up for tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day!"

Touka stares silently, as she thinks to herself. _"I guess you have a lot to thank your brother for...unlike me, who couldn't even keep her own little brother in check..."_ Touka smiles softly. _"Then again, girls are quicker to catch on, after all. Ya hear that, stupid little brother? You've got a lot of catching up to do."_ She cracks her knuckles confidently. _"And I'm not giving up on you yet."_ She heads into the hotel with Reiya.

_The next day…_

Ten days had passed since Kaneki's abduction. CCG's operation is amping into full swing. Yoshimura's group has reached Aogiri's headquarters, with Reiya and Touka not far behind, though still en route to the location.

In the abandoned building…

"Nee, look at all the chaos that's just waiting to come together. Isn't it fun to watch?" She says seductively, her arms wrapped around Kaneki from behind.

The man in his usual white suit emerges from the door behind them. "Be sure to keep him company."

"Ara, is it time for your great debut already?"

"It won't be much of one if everyone simply kills each other off. My presence will be like a mere fly on the wall, when all is said and done. Be safe, my dear. Expect me to return with the other ingredient at hand."

"I can hardly wait."

The man stares at Kaneki intently.

"The embodiment of sorrow. This hair suits you. I prefer it this way."

Kaneki nods silently as the man takes his leave.

_Moments later…_

Omou walks in front of a familiar building.

"Building #8. Boy, I sure hope Kaneki Ken is in this o-ahh who am I kidding." He stares at the building depressingly. "It probably wouldn't be a bad grave. No one would even know I went missing…" He walks toward the entrance, and soon through it.

"No use running from it, I suppose. Let's see which group of ghouls welcome me this time."


	8. Petal 8

Surrounded by darkness and inundated with silence, Omou walks through a short hallway connecting into a large, stretched out pentagon-shaped room, adorned with pillars on both sides. Only a single light shined at the midpoint of a wall that divided the room's floors, aligned in between two sets of cracked stairs. He takes a step back when his eyes catch sight of a large picture mounted on it.

It was a picture of Reiya and Amaya, with both of their arms wrapped around the other's shoulder, whilst the other one throws out two fingers, resembling a peace sign. Only a few things stood out about it.

"No."

Reiya's face was missing from the picture, only leaving behind remnants of her once magenta hair. Omou's eyes dilate as he consumes the entirety of the picture.

"Why?"

On the picture was dried-up blood smeared down from Amaya's eyes. The sight mortified him.

"Why is this here?!"

He slowly walks closer to the picture, reaching out to it.

"What is...this picture doing here? Why...are there pictures of my sisters...in a place like this?" His nose begins to tingle, his ears soon following.

"That smell. Is that Kaneki?" A loud thud ensues. Omou rushes up the stairs and to the door at the end of the room, with the sound of wall slamming and the clashing of fists filling the air.

"Is that smell really of Kaneki? It doesn't smell as intoxicating..."

He reaches for the doorknob, but the earlier sounds dissipate. Upon opening the door, a gust of wind blows against him. He finds Kaneki, who was seemingly surprised to see him.

"Omou…" His face wore sadness, fading away only mildly as he puts on a faint smile. "So you did go to find me."

His white hair seemed to blind Omou, doing nothing but gazing upon it, eventually finding them glaring into Kaneki's blank eyes. Omou stomps over towards him and grabs him by the shirt.

"Where is she?!"

"Where is who?"

Omou's kakugan slowly fades in.

"Don't act stupid with me! Where the fuck is Amaya!"

"Calm down. Otherwise you won't be able to sense her."

"Don't tell me what to do! Why?! Reiya's one thing but...why did you have to bring Amaya into this too?!"

"I-"

"She was innocent! And pure! Amaya could never be like Reiya. She could never bring herself to harm anyone in this world, no matter how vile or cruel they might be. Not once since I've known her has she used her kagune...I wanted her to be safe. For Reiya to protect her. For me to protect the both of them. But somehow you've managed to crawl your way in between the both of them. Like a FUCKING centipede. Why don't you just die already?! I should just-"

Kaneki places his hand over Omou's.

"I'm sorry."

"To hell you are!"

"I will take on your responsibility."

All of Omou's rage is put on halt at the shockingly nonchalant remark.

"...What?"

The intense pressure from earlier returns, at a blazing speed.

"And it starts with-" He shoves Omou to the side to take an oncoming hit coming from the other side of the building. Upon impact, movement slugs for a moment, as the assailant looks over at Omou, establishing eye contact.

"...Amaya." What his heart hoped to see was shrouded by the reality his mind was forced to face. She grins sinisterly as her words come out in a slovenly fashion.

"I've missed you, onii-chan!"

**Unspoken Darkness**

Outside Aogiri's headquarters, Yoshimura and the others wait in the shadows. Not far from them, come the CCG on the opposite side of the building. Both sides prepare to siege the building, with Yoshimura giving patience to the arrival of Reiya and Touka.

And they did. They sneak straight into the building, assuming that Yoshimura and co had gone in.

"Are you sure they went in here?"

"If Kaneki's life depended on us getting here before the end of the day, then the rest should already be pretty far in."

"Tch, I wonder if we'll run into one of our brothers here.."

"Probably."

"And if it's yours?" Touka asked curiously.

"If he gets in my way, I'll do the same thing to him as I did to Ayato."

Caught off-guard, Touka looks away, only silence resounding between them.

"...Then, do you like him? Kaneki?"

Touka ram into Reiya's back as she stops instantaneously.

"I guess you could say I'm interested in him…"

"Oh."

"Don't worry! I'm not going to try to steal him from you or anything!"

"And who said he was, huhh?!" Touka growled, right before Reiya covers her mouth.

"Shhh, do you hear that?"

The sound of guns firing off bullets could be heard.

Outside, Irimi is visibly surprised. "They...they went in."

"What?!" Yoshimura shouts.

"Reiya and Touka have already gone in."

"Nghh! Let's move everyone, before they get too far ahead of us."

The group charges into the building. Bullets continue flying, nut not long after, they stop abruptly.

Reiya and Touka pause in response to the newfound silence. The sounds are soon replaced with the colorful noises of splashing blood and tearing of flesh. A stampede of footsteps flourish through the air.

"C'mon, we have to hurry."

Down the hall, they go up two small flights of stairs. As Reiya begins to emerge from the second flight, Touka yanks Reiya by the cloak, bringing her to the floor and crouches down over her. A group of ghouls rush through the hallway.

"...Whew, it's clear. Tch, watch where ya going you idiot! You would've known they were coming if your head wasn't stuck up your ass!

"Yeahh, ahaha...sorry!"

"Whatever. Let's get moving."

They walk through the right hallway upon scaling the stairs.

"Besides, how come someone like you can do that and I can't?"

"Do what?"

"Sense ghouls. Even we have to rely on Irimi a lot to find out where some of us are."

"It's not like I know why it happens...Though I could probably guess it has something to do with how my blood can harm ghouls. After all, I'm only like this when it comes to finding you ghouls. Anyway, that's not important. I can smell him over here...though there's also someone else...someone vile. We need to hur-"

As they come around a corner, Reiya bumps into a short, slender bandaged individual wearing a purple cloak that seemed to cover everything else her bandages couldn't.

"Ow…" She looks up to Touka, plastered with astonishment on her face. She looks back at the individual in question.

"Hehh, what's a human doing here?" A mild grin looms across her cheeks. "Are you, perhaps, looking for **Kaneki Ken**?"

Elsewhere, Yoshimura and the others engage both members of Aogiri and the CCG.

"Kaneki? Who's that? Is that supposed to be the owner of this building or something?"

"No, that's actually me who's in charge of this place." A chill rushes through Reiya's spine.

"If you're not here for Kaneki-kun, then," She crouches down to Reiya, lifting up her chin. "Are you here to volunteer yourself to me?"

"...You're...an Ukaku?"

"Hmm you could tell from my touch? My, you're already more interesting than I thought. Then tell me, human, to where would you two lovely ladies be headed?"

Balling up her fists to keep from shaking, alongside biting her lip, she finally mutters. "I'm looking for the one-eyed ghoul..."

"...I see. One-eyed ghoul. And you think I should overlook this and not kill the both of you two here where you stand because?"

"Because if Omou's told you about me, you would know that he'd stop at nothing to kill you if you did."

Eto shows a slight complacency.

"Omou? How would you know who Ou-...actually, nevermind."

_"Could she be the one from that night?" _The ghoul thought to herself. Imparting a good long look at Reiya, she soon stands up and walks off.

"W-Wait! Do you know if Kaneki's okay? What have you guys done to him?"

"You should probably ask Omou yourself. After all, I just got here." She walks off into the hallway, fading into its darkness.

Reiya and Touka finally get a chance to catch their breaths, having been confronted with an immense sense of bloodlust.

_"__Is she gonna fight everyone out there? Now that I mention it...why did she look so scary? She had such a small body too…"_

"You okay, Reiya?" Touka asks worryingly.

"Yeah...how about you?"

"Don't worry about me, idiot."

The two soon head on their way, with one thought lingering in Touka's mind.

_"How is she able to remain so calm in a situation like that?"_

In the abandoned building, Kaneki coughs out a splash of blood, having been punctured through the stomach. Amaya headbutts him to the face, smashing him through the floor onto the first floor, where what seemed to be an exhibit room. Groaning the pain away, he eventually finds himself back on his feet. What awaited him was a photo album of pictures with Amaya in every corner, unable to escape the beauty and innocence held within them.

"I don't understand."

Amaya pulls Omou close to her, breathing warm breathe onto his cheeks.

"It's been so long since I've been able to feel you like this." She then launches him behind her through the wall, crashing into one of the pillars beside the stairs, causing the floor above to collapse onto him.

As Kaneki looks through the pictures, he wonders to himself, _"What caused her to change?"_ He begins to think about Reiya. _"Does she know? What's become of her sister…"_ He recalls her sad face. _"Is she scared of what she'll find?"_ His hair seemingly blinds his eyes. _"That's right. There's also him._" He lets out an extended, calm breathe. _"What I have to do is simple."_

Omou emerges from the rumble into the air, in time to dodge an oncoming kick from Amaya. She speeds out of the dust cloud, and a clash of blows ensue.

"Happy happy happy! I thought you've went and died on me! All these years, and here you are right in front of me!"

The force of her punches prove difficult for Omou to parry with the back of his hand. Barely landing an undercut onto his stomach, she transitions into a rolling kick that connects with his face, spiraling him into the ground once more. As if ignoring the pain from the earlier blow he quickly rolls through the ground onto his feet, faced with yet another flurry of punches. Instead, he tries to dodge them altogether, relying on his gradually weakening speed. He manages to roll through the ground behind her when she flings her arm out wildly, overcome with happiness. The effort proves vain, as she rams her elbow into the back of his neck.

"Gauggh!" Blood spurts from his mouth. Turning back around, he unsheathes his kagune. _"The darkness." _Suddenly, he's able to maneuver with greater ease than before, though he's left struggling to throw anything at her, stuck on the defensive end of her relentless assault.

"Before I met you, Omou, I always felt so alone, being the only ghoul in the house. The odd one out...the one who had to hold herself back..denying myself of what a ghoul needed. When someone like you came into my life," Tears cling onto Omou's arms, surprised by her reactions. They were hers, after all. "I was really glad." Caught off guard he takes a punch right through the center of his face.

Sent through the air, he looks behind him to find her waiting by the wall for his arrival, smashing the back of her elbow into his back. A loud agonizing yell filled the room, as much as it was blissful to her ears.

She grabs the back of his head, suspended in mid-air, and plummets it face first into the ground. Blood spreads onto the floor from his face. The impact creates a large dust cloud. Within it, Amaya whispers into his ear.

Aching in pain, Omou struggles immensely, gripping the palms of his hands ferociously with his fingertips to distract from the pain in his back. He manages to raise himself slightly to make eye contact with Amaya.

But that meant nothing, as her lips had already enshrouded his, with a tenderness that made everything else seem like a facade. From her lips, he felt as much of her deep love for him as he did her aching sadness. He fought with all his strength to reach for her wet cheeks, dampened with tears.

As Kaneki walks out a door on the first floor to find Omou on the floor, still reaching for her. But there was nothing there. Only the sound of Omou crying could be heard within the building, with her parting words lingering in his mind.

_"__Ever since I met you, I decided that you would be my one true love. No matter what."_

Kaneki slowly walks over to him. He helps him up, bringing his arm around his shoulders, as they exit the building.

"Come on, let's go meet up with Reiya and the others."

* * *

Boy I wonder how many errors got through me and the spell check this time :D

1000 views! Thank you all for following this wacky story of mine! Thank you to those who've favorite'd, followed, commented, all that stuff :D

Find me on Deviantart (*cough* or Tumblr) for goofy updates and such. It's practically impossible to get links to work on here, but my name's literally the same everywhere (except Tumblr - Zakhiru). You'll also be able to find all my constant apologies + excuses for later than usual releases (something I'm still working at being consistent at). Also working on a oneshot-ish story on Deviantart for a contest. I'll post it here too when it's finished.

And as always, thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


	9. Petal 9

CCG begins to swarm through the building, with officers rushing through the building, greeted by the kagunes of their ghoulish opposition. Some met a quick end, others battle meticulously to push back the Aogiri forces. One officer ventures off down a stray hallway. He rushes off to the end of it which connects into an intersection. To his relief, he finds the rest of his squad in the eastern hallway.

"Oh, thank god. Hey guys! Come check this side over he-gaau-"

Splat. He gets grabbed from behind by a behemoth dressed in a white suit and red tie.

"Hmm, you're not Kaneki. ...Tch, too bad for you." He takes the man into the air, takes him with both hands, and splits his body in half against his knee. The now quiet man's body lies suspended by foot and hair, with bones dangling aimlessly and blood gushing wildly, yet harmoniously. He then throws the two halves over to the squad who stare morbidly at their late partner's disfigured appearance.

"So…" He flexes his forefinger. "Who's next?"

**Reaping Sorrow**

Reiya and Touka draw near to where the scent is strongest, with only a corner and a door separating them from the source of it. Accompanying their footsteps were the sounds of gushing blood, and the dying breaths of both ghouls and CCG officers nearby.

The scent becomes deafeningly obvious, but that didn't seem to faze Reiya at all as she slides the door open. The shape of the room soon reveals itself, and in the same moment, bringing Reiya to an instance in her memory, to when she first laid eyes on Virus. Upon entering into a large circular room, her eyes widen in shock and she quickly closes the door behind her, leaving Touka out.

"Re-Reiy-"

"Just run! Go and meet up with Yoshimura and the others!"

"To hell with that! Let me in dammit!"

She slams the door with her shoulder to no avail, but that didn't stop her from trying. Eventually, her nudges bring cracks to the door, slightly bending it inward more and more.

"Touka, stop being an idiot! More of them are coming, so if you don't leave no-"

"So you can go off and die?! Don't give me that crap!"

The door continues to give away.

"I'm gonna get you the hell out of there, from whoever it is over there. And then we're gonna go catch up to them together."

"Touka, please just st-"

A dark, firm voice is cast over Reiya's.

"I've heard about enough."

Reiya quickly turns her glare towards the chair in the center of the room, its back facing her. A man in a white cloak that covers his whole body raises from it and turns toward her. He holds out his right hand, with a kagune quickly emerging from his shoulder. He shoots a large black crystallized shard at the feet of the door, busting it wide open and resulting in a large shockwave that shook the entire building.

Rattled by the shockwave, neither Reiya nor Touka could anticipate him appearing in between them so swiftly. His kagune's appearance had changed as well, into three sharp blades attached to the back of his arms and through his wrists, coming out on three side protruding directly from his wrists on opposite sides.

_"Crap! He changed into a Koukaku!"_

Reiya, still jolted from the shockwave and constricted by fear, she softly calls out to Touka.

"Touka snap out of it!"

"I came to check on my little creation. But you…"

The blade enters Touka's body at a blistering speed, effortlessly traveling through her like butter.

"You are unnecessary." He splits off his kagune, leaving the blade lodged in her stomach, before kicking her in the face to send her flying through the hallway.

Reiya screamed for Touka with all she could muster. "Now, now...what else did you expect to happen by bringing her here? Surely you knew what you were going to find. After all, I put it there. That bursting appetite for my life." He grabs her by the cloak and slams her against the wall. Taking off one of his gloves, he slips his hand seamlessly into her stomach. "Ngh!" Her teeth slam together tightly and her eyes close shut to withstand the pain, as excruciating as it was.

"I see they're progressing nicely. Good, good, what marvelous growth. I look forward to seeing you maximize your potential."

"W-what?! A-Aughh!" She starts groaning in pain as his bare hand continues to grope around inside her.

"I suppose it's of no better use to you with your current knowledge. What you are undergoing is the evolution of our kind.

"...E-Evolution?!"

"Indeed. As imperfect as we ghouls are, we still manage to surprise and overwhelm you humans. But with what lies inside you, we will be able to cement our place as the true rulers of this world, and eventually you'll fade into the nothingness from which you began. You fools have reached your peak long ago. Soon the time will come when humanity will have to hand over the torch. And it will have all been facilitated, by you."

"...Why?"

"Hmm?" He presses his knuckles deeper into the cloak, puncturing her slowly against the wall. "Speak up, these old ears can barely hear you."

"Ngh!...Why did it have to be me?"

"Because, she saw a fire in you."

"Sh...She?"

"Hmm? You look surprised…" He stares into her crimson eyes, writhe with pain. He's taken slightly aback. "I see...You thought I was the only one that day. All that rage exists for me, and yet there is someone else missing from your path of revenge."

_"There was another one?"_ He reads the telling expression on her face.

"I'll allow her to be the one to tell you. Chances are, you might already know her. She resides among the other fleas of Aogiri."

He slowly pulls his hand out, and Reiya stares mortified at what came out. His hand had completely melted off. "And to think this started as one measly WC cell. Your blood has already become this potent. Marvelous."

"WC cell?"

"'White Child' cells, a much, much more agile variant of the RC cells present in humans and ghouls. There's only one distinct difference between the two chemically. They're embroided with a special kind of basalt. The boiling temperature of our blood melts with this specially crafted shard of basalt, and what results is - newfound potential. While RC cells require a kakuhou to collect and manifest into a kagune, WC cells need no such preparation. RC cells condensate blood into crystal. WC cells do the opposite, while being capable of complete evaporation. Those with WC cells should be more agile, more deadly, more effective...more capable of controlling this world than ordinary ghouls. Even I am not exempted from this fact. But that does not matter now. My replacement will arrive soon enough. Either you, or **her**."

_"...Amaya?"_

He lets go of Reiya and soon takes his leave. Void of the desire to chase after him, Reiya lies on the floor, motionless.

"I'm going to become a ghoul?"

The man stops for a moment. "Not quite...Where as the white blood cells of a human can protect you from disease, WC cells are a disease in itself for humans. Think of it as, a passionate cancer."

Reiya slowly manages to get on her feet. She slams her foot on the ground and yells intensely. "Then what was the point of giving me this crap?!"

"Hmph, I never said it was incurable. All you have to do-" He turns her back against her and continues off, imparting a grim message. "...is to eat a ghoul."

He turns into another hallway and disappears from sight.

On another side of the building, one of the lesser ghouls roaming through the hallways find a maimed Touka, groveling on the floor. They both give each other a long stare. _"Just my luck…"_ Touka murmured to herself. She spurts out blood as he watches amusingly.

"Heh, you must be Ayato's sister. Say, why don't I help you with that! It'll be my pleasure!"

The ghoul lunges for her, and as she tries to do the same, her wound remanifests its existence through pain, translating her energy into cringing pain.

"Hehe...sorry Reiya. You were trying to help me, and I still manage to screw up...I-"

Riiip!

From the ghoul's back side a crystallized red wing protruded from him. "She's my prey, you fucking trash. Go whine in hell and curse your own stupidity." As he pulls out, blood gushes from every which way, dropping him to the ground.

Touka looks up at the boy in front of her.

"Aya-to!"

"Yeah, I'm here. Tch, baka nee-chan."

After disposing of his subordinate, he approaches Touka and turns his back against her before kneeling down to the ground on his knees. "Hurry up and get your stupid ass on."

"...Ehh?"

Elsewhere in the building, Yamori treads through the ground floor, when he finds a seemingly young bleach white-haired boy at the other end of the hallway, looking around aimlessly for something to fight.

"Hmmm, who are you?" The boy asks, pointing at him.

A grin overtakes him, as he begins to move into a striking stance. "Your worst nightmare, kid."

"Wooh, you must be Jason. I've heard so much about youuu! You look pretty strong. You'll be my first real test!" They both rush at each other, slowly revealing their weapons in the process, with Yamori unsheathing his kagune and the boy bringing out an array of knives from his uniform.

On the rooftop, Yoshimura appears on the rooftop, dawning an appearance unlike his usual demeanor. The Owl, as his opposition called him, as high-ranking CCG officers surround him.

Within the auditorium, Yomo, Tsukiyama, along with Uta engage Noro. Their kagunes collide and clash, with Noro's beefy stature allowing him to withstand them three-on-one. Tsukiyama and Uta both rush him down in opposite directions.

Tsukiyama declares confidently, "We've got you this time."

Noro disappears from in between them.

"Shit!" Uta yells out. In the same instance, Noro's closed the distance between himself and Yomo.

Out of nowhere, Kaneki steps in between Uta and Tsukiyama and blocks the brute force of their attacks, to both their surprise. Omou repels Noro's swift assault, along with Yomo's perceived counterattack.

"!"

"Kaneki!"

Everyone disengages from each other's assault.

On Omou's side, "Noro, go meet up with the leader, I'll take it from here."

Over by Kaneki, "Guys, leave him to me. Go find Reiya-chan and Touka-san." They each pause slightly, and both parties leave on opposite ends of the room.

"Thank you." Kaneki relays with relief.

"He's my responsibility anyway. Just like those three were yours."

"I've seen how you are Omou. You don't really like resorting to violence, do you?" The remark puts a smirk on Omou's face. "So you think you know me now, huh?"

"Am I wrong?"

"Completely."

"...I see." Kaneki puts on a smile.

"Omou."

"What?"

"For some reason, I'm really interested in fighting you. I guess anyone could do, but, I want it to be you."

"I can't say I'm honored to hear that, especially after the show I gave you earlier..."

"That was different, wasn't it? And you don't really like me that much anyway."

"That's not entirely true. If it hadn't been for what you said back there, I'd probably still be back there sulking."

The words echo in his head. _"Don't start mourning for her now, not while she's still alive. There's always a chance you might be able to bring her back. Right now, focus on what you want to do right now."_ _Omou remains silent, unsure of an answer. Finally..."I know what I **need** to do."  
_

They both recite their answer as they rush towards each other. _"To kill the bastard who started it all!"_

A few moments go by, and Eto soon arrives at the auditorium. Both Kaneki and Omou lie unconscious on the floor. As she approaches Omou, she sees someone emerging from the other hallway. It was Reiya. "Hm hm, look what we've found~" Reiya comes closer to find the unconscious bodies.

"It seems it's quiet down a bit, wouldn't you say?" Reiya says nothing, only studying her face, slightly suspicious of her."

"You don't seem afraid of me this time."

"Yeah...As it turns out, I have worse things to worry about right now." Her fists begin to ball up. "What exactly are you to Omou?"

"Well his boss for one. It's embarrassing to say...but I think I have a crush on him."

"Huh?"

Eto walks over and sits onto her knees in front of Omou, stroking his arms with her fingertips.

"Even though he's a ghoul, there's something about him that manages to make me feel a little...human."

"So even you recognize that about him...That's a relief." For the first time since coming into Aogiri's base, she puts on a hopeful smile, surprising Eto.

"Please take care of him for me!" She bows

A faint smile appears behind her bandages. "I don't think I need you to tell me that."

"And while you're at it, take care of this loser too." From the darkness behind Eto, Touka's body comes flying towards Reiya, crashing onto her. "Oww!...Touka! Is she okay?!"

"Shut your yappy mouth up. She'll live. Come on boss, let's get moving."

Eto raises Omou, bringing his arm around her shoulder. Touka begins to regain consciousness.

"Reiya?"

"Touka! You're up! Great, uh...can you walk?"

"What?"

From behind her, Yomo lifts up Touka, holstered to his shoulder. "H-Hey!"

"Yomo-kun…"

"You got him, right?"

"Yeah."

She brings Kaneki around her shoulder as well. Eto begins to walk off when Reiya's words pause her briefly. "Wait. If you run into someone with a white cloak-"

"Too late for that. I had already run into him when I found you two."

"Do you know him?"

Eto nods slightly. "You could say, I was his acquaintance." Finally Reiya asks…

"...Do you...remember me then?"

Eto takes a moment to stare at her carefully, granting a smile that hid her true emotions. "So you've figured it out, huh?"

"You weren't the one that did it though, were you?"

"Maybe, maybe not, who could say?"

Reiya chuckles softly, somehow finding her answer within Eto's cryptic response.

"Did Omou...know him too?"

"He took care of Omou when he was alive, along with me and our sister."

"...Heh, then I probably wouldn't have much of a chance with him."

"If you don't try, then you definitely don't have a chance. So you might as well."

"Hm."

She continues onward into the hallway behind her, fading from sight.

Reiya and Yomo soon take their leave.

* * *

Thanks for reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Stay tuned for my XReader fanfic later today!


	10. Petal 10

**Bitter Rising**

With the battle royale in the Aogiri base reaching its climax, Reiya and Eto both exit the building, with Kaneki and Omou in tow, respectively, from opposite sides of the building. Neither one, however, could escape the grisly sight held at the rooftop. The Owl was doing battle with the Doves, when the door leading to the rooftop blows open, revealing Virus in the darkness. The Owl soon realizes who was standing before him. Unfortunately for him, his CCG foes did not.

He plants his hand behind his neck, hauntingly declaring, "Now now, fellas," He stretches his neck deeply against his hand, finding his head opposite his neck, as the Doves stare in terror, with at least one of them ready to hurl. "No fighting now."

He shouts out a large fleeting crystal from his emerging ukaku.

"Get ready!" Shouted Shinohara, one of the Special Class Ghoul Investigators of CCG. The attack gets blocked midway through, thanks to the Owl's shielding, to their shock. The Owl utters painfully, "You must flee."

_Why so soon?_

Virus appears right in between the CCG operatives, leaving everyone startled. The ukaku surges back into his shoulders, and the RC cells rush out through his lower back, in the form of six pulsating tentacles. He suspends himself in mid-air, with his legs bent against the tentacle keeping him so.

"Six tails, and only five of you. I'll tell you what, I'll only use these five, and with each of these tails that pierce your bodies, I will cease activity with them. So, theoretically, the more of you I kill, the easier I'll become. Sound fair? That means only one of you will have the opportunity to fight me at the most opportune moment...Now allow me to show you who it won't be.

Swallowing his fear and steadying his stance, Shinohara commands, "Everyone get ready!"

Through one of the Dove's chests emerged one of Virus' tentacles.

**_4_**

Shinohara rushes him, with the other 3 behind him clustered together. A grin showed itself upon his lips, as Virus spreads out his arms, his four tentacles surging toward them. Each of them manage to block the brute force of each tentacle, barring one, sliding against the investigator's quinque, and thus reaching around him. "Shit!" A bulkier operative covers his backside and blocks the pinching strike.

Virus smirks, reeling in both his ring fingers. **_3_**

**SPLAT**

Two of the other tails swoop around and impale the investigator from opposite directions.

**_2_**

One of the two tails impaling the now deceased Dove tears away, into the back of the other operative, making quick work of him.

Virus' feet touch the ground, with his remaining two tails returning behind him. Only Shinohara and another Special Class Ghoul Investigator, Kuroiwa, remained.

"**_Come._**"

Shinohara looks into Kuroiwa's eyes, both of them prepared for death. They charge down Virus with blazing passion. "**_Yes, yes, those eyes will do just fine!_**" The remaining tentacles speed toward them once again, and as one comes within inches to Shinohara's skull, he dives down and throws his quinque into the air, while Kuroiwa strikes the exposed tentacle, cutting it in half. The quinque parries with the other tail to cover him. He bends himself slightly, with Shinohara quickly back on his feet and boosting from his back to reach his weapon, as Kuroiwa closes the distance with Virus.

**_Impressive._**

Blood spills onto Virus' face, but it was not his own. A finger was missing from his hand, as the other tentacle lied inside the investigator. "He...regenerated his tail…" As his vision fades, his weapon drops to the ground. His falling hand reaches for Shinohara. On the corner of his eye, Shinohara caught sight of Kuroiwa, and the grim fate that awaits him. Tears shed from his eyes and he grits his teeth in rage, as the man's consciousness vanishes into nothingness.

**_1-_**

In a single swoop, Shinohara slices apart the last tentacle. Back on the ground, he looks into Virus' cold eyes, as he recedes the sixth tentacle.

**_Don't disappoint me now._**

Within the building, the brawl rages on between Juuzou and Yamori. Despite the relentless assault Juuzou laid on Yamori, he manages to regenerate from all of the damage, creating an uphill battle for Juuzou, now faced with one of attrition against a rinkaku. "Hmm, you keep healing no matter how many of these I put in you. That's unfortunate…I'm going to need something sharper than this."

Yamori gives off a sinister smile. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to play with knives?! I'll be sure to send you back to her in a body bag!" He flings his tail at Juuzou, and he slips under its trajectory, sliding around Yamori before driving a couple knives into his lower back. Yamori yells in pain accordingly. "Nnnngh, you annoying brat!" The tail flies at Juuzou once more, but at a noticeably slower speed. He jumps to the side to dodge it, reappearing onto Yamori's back, to his shock. "When did you-"

He proceeds to drive numerous knives into his kakuhou, bringing Yamori to the ground, cringing in pain. Slicing. Screaming. Blood gushing. Such blissful sounds graced his ears. "Get up! I wanna play some more! Didn't you say you wanted to send me to mother?! DIDN'T YOU?!"

But all was interrupted, by an explosion at the rooftop. "Shinohara..." He hops off Yamori and rushes up to the rooftop. He enters through the blasted doorway onto a now barren rooftop. With his eyes dilated, overriden with shock, he slowly traverses the rooftop toward the edge.

"Shino...hara...san?"

Who would imagine finding Shinohara, pinned to the ground through the chest by a detached tentacle? Certainly not Juuzou, who let out a surging scream filled with angst and sorrow. He let out another…and another, finally bowing his head to the ground as the tears began to surface. Yelling and crying endlessly, dismissive of the reality below him. Nearly everyone who bore the strength and courage of the CCG had perished in this building. Shinohara was no exception. But not Juuzou.

_As his crying begins to secede, he barely notices a low rising wall to his right, drawn with blood, along with an arrow pointing to three syringes._

If you seek power to avenge your fallen comrade...in order to seek me, you will need these. Where do they go? Well, what human organ does the kakuhou show the most resemblance?

He takes the three syringes into his hand, soon gripping them.

An agonizing yell could be heard from within the ground floor of the building, as Virus exits the building, a long diagonal gash visible from his shoulder and across his chest. A smile laid on his lips as he thought to himself,

"A new challenger has risen…"

And this, brought to an end the power struggle between CCG and Aogiri, as well as the ? who all left a small, yet lasting impact on both fronts. Unable to find Kaneki, Reiya, and Touka, Yoshimura and the others are forced to return to the 20th Ward, with the risk of staying being too great. Word began to spread around CCG of Juuzou's disappearance, as well as the death of Shinohara and Kuroiwa, among the depressing list of casualties. What befell the rest were unknown.

Two days have passed since the events at the Aogiri base. Kaneki finally regains consciousness, laid beneath bed sheets, with a slumbering Reiya across him, leaning on her side against a pillow, wearing a light blue shirt and white pajama pants adorned with white flowers. With her knees bent up mildly, they subtly overlap his covered legs.

As he scans her features, he thinks back to the ordeal with Amaya, as he thought about her in those moments. He escapes from his covers and kisses her on the cheek. With the covers now flipped over against her, he heads for the bathroom.

It was fairly narrow and rectangular in size. He takes a shower, rinsing himself of the blood shed from his own body, some from Omou as well. Kaneki felt the sting of his feet, still painfully sensitive to the polarizing temperatures exposed to them. Soon after, the bathroom door slowly creaks open. From behind the shower curtain, he could hear the running water from the faucet and the scrubbing of teeth. Kaneki closes his eyes and continues on showering.

Surprise! The shower curtains wrap around him tightly while the faucet water was still running.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I can't take you with me." He said solemnly.

"And why's that?"

"I won't be strong enough to protect you."

"You won't have to be. I brought you back here, after all!"

"All by yourself?"

She pokes out her lips embarrassingly, "W-Well, that's beside the point!"

They both remain silent for a moment, before she asks a question.

"Aogiri took you away, but you wasn't at that building when we showed up…"

"I was taken away from them."

"By who?"

The shower water stops running, and the towel flies off the shower rod.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I have a feeling I already know."

He emerges from the shower, towel in tow, as he replies, "Then you're half right." As he tries to walk by her, she grabs him by the arm.

"Was Amaya...with him too?"

"...Yes and no."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"...I'm sorry, Reiya...I don't think the Amaya you or Omou knew exists anymore."

The grip on his arm loosens, and he heads for the doorway. As he's about to exit the bathroom, he declares to himself, "For your sake, I'll remove the both of them from this wo-"

Once more, Reiya gets in his way, blocking the doorway. "Take me with you anyway. If your path has to do with killing Amaya, I want to take care of her myself. I have to see for myself what she's become. And also..." She nudges herself against Kaneki, both hands planted onto his chest. "I get to be by your side." She reaches up to him and kisses him. "For as long as it lasts~"

Kaneki tilts his head away, slightly saddened.

"I'm no more safer away from you anyway!" She says with a bright, cheesy smile.

Finally, he surrenders, with a resounding "Okay."

"Mmmnnhh." Eto moaned as she's slowly shaken. Eventually she slaps the hand away and awakens.

"Good morning to you too…" The sound of Omou's voice startles her. "E-Ehh?!" She rises up from the bed, messy green hair in tow, wearing a black camisole with one strap loose around her arm.

"When did you…"

He looks away, with red evident on his cheeks. He looks back at her, surprised at her glowing green eyes, as if more excited than shocked or embarrassed by him hearing her utter the words:

"_Stay with me. Be mine._"

She gets up onto her knees, exposing her black boyshorts from the covers, rubbing her hands briskly against his shoulders. "What's your answer?"

He goes on to avoid her gaze, finding refuge at her partially exposed hip. Suddenly jolted, Eto finds herself laid on the bed after Omou sweeps her behind her thighs. He grazes her by the hip, where a small incision could be faintly seen, but even more visible was the small stream of dried-up blood that seemed to cut off at her panty line.

"When was this?"

"It was an offering."

"...To Virus?"

"I was an accomplice of hi-Ahhh!"

She moans loudly when he begins to press his lips against her hip. He licks the spot of incision. He licks the blood off her, returning to the point of incision. He delicately kisses it, before pinching the skin of her hip. Upon looking back at her, he sees her blushing face, and she shuts her eyes, looking away in embarrassment.

"...Were you there?"

"Eh?" The red on her face slightly lifts upon the question.

"When our father died? Were you…"

"Yes."

"I see."

"It wasn't me that killed him."

"I know. I can see that now."

The blush returns. "Wh-wh-what do you mean?"

"There's still a human side of you that remains. I can only imagine what you've had to go through all this time, being leader of Aogiri and all. I had thought that someone like you would've been cold and blood-thirsty, but you don't seem to be either of those things."

"Then maybe you've got me all wrong..."

"Prove me wrong."

**Bang!**

On the floor the two laid...or rather, Omou did, pinned to the floor with Eto atop him on all fours. Her kakugan was exposed.

"Is this enough for you?!"

His hand makes its way to her cheek, just below her right eye. Her eyes shut for a moment and reopen, with the kakugan now receded.

"See? This was what I meant." She buries her face into his chest.

"I could just get lost in it...Its warmth."

She feels his arms grasping around her back.

"Then take your time, I'm not going anywhere."

As she looks up at him, he connects his lips with hers.

"_...Damn it..."_

Her legs begin to quiver, and he soon rolls her to the side before kissing her once more. The warmth of each other's lips kept them coming back for more.

Back at the abandoned building, Amaya sits on the floor, sipping on the shot glass of blood handed to her by Virus.

"That man must've been pretty strong."

"Hmph, I underestimated him was all. Not the wisest of things to do at my age. But soon, that won't matter. Soon, you will fill these old shoes."

"Me or Reiya, you mean."

A smile crosses his face. "It seems you've caught on."

"All I have to do is kill her before she realizes how strong she is. Fufu, that should be easy~"

She heads for the exit.

"Where are you going, my dear?"

She puts on what seemed to be the brightest smile he's seen from her.

"For a walk~"


	11. Petal 11

Within the CCG headquarters located in the 20th Ward, Amon Koutarou stood in his office, mortified by the papers recently presented to him. It gave a general briefing of the results of the attack on Aogiri's hideout; near-decimation. Dozens of casualties were reported, most notably Kuroiwa and Shinohara. Juuzou's whereabouts remain unknown, though talk has spread that he perished in the battle. A sigh escapes his lips as he slams his fists against the desk.

A tall white-haired man walks into the room.

"Am I supposed to take pride in knowing that all those people died because I wasn't there? That we-"

"No one anticipated a third party to appear. You're fortunate to not have been sent there yourself. Perhaps myself included if even Shinohara fell to them."

Amon grips his teeth. He knew he was right.

"Just make sure all that training doesn't go in vain." The white-haired man says.

"I understand, Arima-san."

**The Pain**** of Resolve**

Out of the apartment emerges Kaneki and Reiya, adorned with matching black and white clothing, with Kaneki wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with black shorts, while Reiya sported a short-sleeved white shirt and black cargo pants.

As they walk casually down the street, Reiya asks curiously, "So what are we going to do now? We don't have anything to go on, so how are we going to find the two of them?"

"We're not completely without clues."

"Eh?" A look of astonishment became her.

"We'll discuss that in a moment. Let's get some coffee first."

"Okay."

A few blocks down, they find a coffee shop on the corner of a large intersection.

"Let's get one of those tables outside."

"Or, we could just get one inside, so you don't stand out as much." She continues down the sidewalk,soon noticing Kaneki lagging behind. She turns to find him looking at her silently.

"...I want to see your hair under the sunlight."

"Eh?"

She recalls the first day she met him, when her hair fluttered in the sunlight that day. The faces and expressions that seemed to entrance him on that occasion left a frown across her lips. Reiya tilts downward, seemingly ashamed.

"What's so special about seeing my hair outside?"

Kaneki said softly, "It doesn't wear a mask like you do." He walks ahead of her and crosses the street into the cafe.

_"Hmph, what makes you think I'm not putting in all kinds of crap to keep it that way?"  
_  
She follows him inside not long after.

A few miles in the opposite direction from the cafe, inside an abandoned house, Eto lets out a loud yawn as she raises up in search of a clock.

"Ahhhnn, is it time to get up already?" She feels Omou wiggling below her, her hands rested upon his bare chest.

"Mm, wh-at ti-me was-it bef-ore?" He mumbled hopelessly, leaving Eto struggling to refrain from chuckling. Finally, she utters seductively into his ear, "Who knows...but honestly, who cares? I'm ready for round two~"

"...Wait...Round wha-"

With his eyes finally awake, he sees Eto's blushing face before him, and a blurry sight of her half naked body covered behind her long, messy hair. She jolts when she feels his hand rubbing her rear. He breathes a quick sigh of relief as his fingers swipe across her panties.

"So we didn't go _that_ far…"

"Hmph, you're no fun." She giggles lightly and lays her head against him. "That's fine. Just as long as you don't mind me laying up on you like this~"

He smiles softly. She closes her eyes once she could feel his arms around her back. "I don't dislike it."

"Good."

Emerging from the cafe comes Kaneki with two cups of coffee, approaching a distant Reiya.

"You're not the only one who can wear a mask..." Reiya mentioned sternly as she grasps the coffee cup he hands her. Kaneki sits across from her on the small roundtable. "Is that so?" He replies quietly.

"Was Amaya responsible for that mask?" He adds.

"Only I am responsible for what I do or how I live. With broth...Omou gone, when Amaya was taken from me, I had lost all sense of normalcy along with her. First father, and now my sister and best friend was taken from me as well. I couldn't take the pain. The pain of being weak...And the reality of being alone. I knew things had to change with myself if I was ever going to find her. What you saw that day was the result of that change, on a normal day."

"I'm sorry for what you've had to go through."

"Don't get all sappy over something that doesn't concern you...or didn't."

They both begin drinking their coffee, relishing in the silence for a while. Eventually, Kaneki breaks it.

"You're not the only one to have suffered and gone through change. I saw it in Amaya too. Behind a face that showed her twisted happiness, I saw pain and despair."

A faint smile graces her lips as she sips her coffee. "Then maybe she's hoping for the same thing as I a-" She looks up at Kaneki, shaking his head as he returns to his coffee.

"At least let me believe in it a little bit...even if it isn't true. After all this time trying to find her, you're asking me to help you kill her..."

"We don't have to if you don't want to."

"Don't just say that for my sake. I want to know what happened between you that has you set on killing her."

A pause follows, and Kaneki drinks his coffee for a moment before resuming with, "It's as you said before...Aogiri had me at one point. But then I was taken away from them. She was the one who took me. And it wasn't just her…"

"Virus?!"

"Mm. He had her eat me continuously for days, until he eventually left for Aogiri. By then Omou had shown up to help me get away from her. Though, that came with its own struggles."

"What happened after he came? Did those two...end up fighting?"

He nods silently, reaffirming her suspicion.

"Although, I wouldn't call it much of a fight. He acted more like her punching bag. He was no match for her."

Reiya puts the cup down and slams her hands against the table, raising from her chair in fear.

"Is he still okay?! Did she...Did she really-"

"Relax. He's fine. It didn't seem like she was trying to kill him at the time anyway. It seemed more like she was venting out her frustration. I'm sure it goes back to when it was the three of you."

"Maybe even further than that. Whatever it was, it must've been bad enough to where she couldn't feel like she could tell me about it."

"Perhaps it has to do with you."

"...Me?"

"When I was being held captive by them, she didn't speak well of your name. It wasn't until I was thrown into that room when it started to make sense. Amaya, as you knew her, she must've been incredibly shy. I think the way she was back then, she would never be able to tell you her true feelings, rather bottling them up instead, despite the pain it brought her."

"So, she's been wearing a mask too...for my sake. And for Omou's as well. In a way, it's as if Virus unshackled her."

"Even that wasn't without sacrifice."

"What do you mean?"

"I could see the pain in her eyes after she fought Omou. Unlike before, she's consciously hurting the both of you. No mask, no inhibitions. She doesn't have to hold anything back anymore. Yet that alone, I believe, might be causing her the most pain. Because in being able to do that, she's become Virus' puppet. The best thing you could do for her now, is to free her from those shackles once more."

"No."

"Hm?"

"There has to be more that I can do! This power...surely with this I can-"

Kaneki signals her to pause, raising his hand in the form of a rock. "What do you mean by power?"

"...He...Virus, he put something inside of me, similar to your case, except for a few things."

"Explain."

"...You see…"

Having left the abandoned house a few miles away, Omou and Eto lean against an overpass of a lake.

"Can I really do it, though? Could I really learn to use my kakuja?"

"The fact that you haven't succumbed to it yet proves that you're more than ready. You might even be better at it than I am. Who knows? I wouldn't discount that human nature of yours that I adore so much~" She says, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"If we both use our kakujas, would we stand a chance against him?"

"...Virus, you mean? Who knows? I've got too many things to think about than plan my funeral. If you're planning on going at him alone, at least let me know, so I can kill you myself."

Omou gives a lighthearted laugh, to Eto's surprise. "I wouldn't do anything that foolish. Not yet. There's still someone I haven't answered to."

"Another one of your sisters, like Reiya?"

"She confessed to me, you know."

"Your sister? Sounds kinky."

"Tell me about it…Hey?"

"What is it?"

"Shouldn't the leader of Aogiri be busy tending to more serious matters than keeping her boy toy company?"

"Didn't you know? You're part of my business now."

"I guess that's to be expected. Note" He detaches from her and walks from the overpass.

"Omou-kun."

He stops for a moment to hear her out.

"Do you still want revenge against me for what happened to your father?"

"...Yes."

"Aha, how adorable. You're free to take it, but only after I've accomplished everything I've set out to do with Aogiri."

He continues onward, imparting, "I look forward to that day."

Back at the cafe, Reiya finishes explaining her story, about the power Virus gave her along with her account of the events that occurred in the Aogiri base. Kaneki hands her a softened smile. "You've been through so much in these last few years. I don't know how much use I'll be of to you, but please do not hesitate to rely on me."

Reiya looks away, long since embarrassed by her own story, and his seemingly corny words didn't help.

His soft expression began to harden as his lips began to move once more. "From what we know, Virus wants to turn everyone into these white RC-celled variants of ghouls, to allow ghouls to reach a higher level of evolution and for humanity to become consumed. You and Amaya were his greatest success, being able to merge with the cells seemlessly. Your time is limited though, because you're a human...one that requires a very specific kind of blood. When I was in captivity, Virus mentioned needing the other one-eyed ghoul...I don't know what would be the urgency in needing both of us, though."

"The other one happens to be the leader of Aogiri."

"You know him?"

"It's a she."

"A woman?"

"Mm. She's just like you, only scarier. Omou works for her, so if I can just get in contact with him…" She brings out her phone and immediately attempts to call him.

**Ring, ring, ring**

Nothing.

"Hmph. Maybe he left his phone somewhere..."

"Or he lost it during his fight with Amaya."

"That's pretty terrible, even for him. It's fine, we'll just have to pay him a visit...And I can't leave your sight for a moment, since they're looking for you too."

He raises from the table, lamenting, "Speaking of which, I have to go to the restroom for a bit...unless you consider that too long a moment and wish to join me."

"Just get lost already..."

"I'll just be a moment."

As he heads inside the cafe, a young white-haired lady dressed in a white frilly dress bumps him on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a reassuring smile before continuing his way to the bathroom, as the woman walks over to Reiya.

"Ara, your hair looks gorgeous! Tell me, who does it for you?"

She analyzes the woman's face for a moment before giving her reply.

"Eh, it's nothing special. I take care of it when I can, which isn't very often these days."

"Kawaii! It looks so cute out here, the light just makes it POP!"

"Ahaha, thanks, yours does to-" Upon closer inspection, the woman's hair seemed to give off a more subtle sheen than her own.

"Hmm, what was that?!"

"...Nothing."

The woman extends her hand to Reiya. "My name's Mio!"

Reiya promptly shakes her hand, replying, "I'm Reiya."

"What a cute name! Sounds almost like someone else I know. She's very sick at the moment, and I came to this ward to help her get better."

"I see. Well, I hope she gets better then."

"Yeah, me too! There's still so many things I need to tell her...I need her to stay alive to hear it all. It doesn't have to be for very long, just a few minutes will do!"

Reiya's smile disappears, with a look of suspicion now surrounding her face.

Mio begins to laugh, at first softly, then hysterically.

"...Are you...okay?" Reiya said in a saddened tone.

A white substance began to fall from Mio's eyes.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?!"

Shock embodies Reiya, mortified by the sight of the young woman's face.

Mio was even more surprised, however, when Reiya grasps her hand, in spite of the sight. Her touch brought Mio to her senses. The white substance evaporates into the air, and a look of angst overtakes her. Mio yanks her hand away, before running off, tears escaping her eyes in a effervescent downpour.

Kaneki returns to find tears upon Reiya's face. He rushes over to her, hastily asking, "Did you see her?!" While she didn't answer, her face gave it away, as she buries her face into her hands. In that moment, only they could hear each other's cries.

* * *

Another late release...

It's been raining like hell the past week, I've also been horribly busy, studying for finals and stuff .

Good chance the next few weeks will be pushed back as well, until that whole period kicks the bucket ;-;

Anywhoo, on to the chapter! Haven't done a dialogue heavy chapter in a while...I always get scared when doing them Mostly because it feels like filler sometimes, heheh...

I feel like this one's a bit of a let-down compared to the last two, I need to do better this week.

Thank you all for the wonderfully kind comments, for following along with this story, and for favoriting and showing support for it. I really appreciate it

Even through the crappy weeks like this, I really appreciate it! I look forward to webbing this into a satisfying conclusion (**hopefully**) eventually. Not anytime soon, but eventually!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter (*cough* petal), and apologies for it being a bit boring . .


	12. Petal 12

**What's Lost Is Mine**

As Amaya distances herself from Reiya, resting her back against a brick wall adjacent to the alleyway she had just ran through. She looks up into the sky, and her mind drifts into the past.

_She thinks of the moment her and Reiya first met. Reiya had found her on the side of the street, being kicked around by a group of three older males. She laid on the ground in a fetal position, with both her hands covering the back of her head while her arms shielded the sides of her face. No one was around this late in the evening to interrupt their shameless assault. Her groans were quiet and pitiful, with little fight to be found in her voice._

_A six year-old Reiya approaches them, with flailing hands and pointing fingers, as if declaring war on the group of hooligans._

_"You jerks have had your fun! Get lost now, before the police get here!" She pulls out a cell phone from her pocket. "They'll be here any minute now!"_

_What started off as light chuckling, became piercing laughter. They all laughed in a frenzy, which sets her into a fit. "What're you idiots all laughing about? Get the heck out of here NOW!"_

_"Tch, man, shut the fuck up. Who the fuck's gonna show up and arrest us for exacting justice?" The tall one hissed, wearing a tank top and low-riding jeans and a muffled mini afro on top._

_"...You call what you're doing right now justice?!"_

_"Let her up man, she's probably never seen one before."_

_"Seen what?" Reiya asked curiously._

_The blond haired man among them grabs the little girl's hair, showing her face, along with the black sclera in both her eyes._

_"Eh?" She uttered in shock._

_ "This brat, is what you call a ghoul. Gotta take care of them now while they're still young and defensel-"_

_"And you call beating up a girl justice?! What did she ever do to you?!"_

_"Hah? Is that wittle brain of yours screwed on right? I just said that she's a ghoul. They're a buncha monsters that have to be exterminated." The blond-haired man scoffed._

_"You mean the kind that do what you guys are doing? She's not the one who needs to be exterminated, it's you parasites!"_

_"The fuck did she just say?" The afro man yelled ferociously._

_"I don't care what she is, or what you think she is. She's a harmless creature, just like me! Unlike you poopy faces! You're all...you're all...you're all just trash, so just leave now before I kick all of your butts!"_

_The three men walk away from the kneeling girl, slowly approaching Reiya, their faces carving a different expression from before._

_"And you think you know what you're talkin' about, right?" He continued. _

_The blond-haired man stretches out past the other two, approaching her at a noticeably faster pace, barking, "You think you know how the world works? The world don't give a shit about you. So you gotta fight to survive. Ergo, the weak in this world," The man pulls out a knife, "have no right to exist!" He charges her wildly. Reiya backs away and attempts to run, but trips over herself in the process. "Ngh!"_

_"Haha, you can go to hell with her!"_

_He leaps toward her._

**_Whoosh._**

_A small burst of wind passes between the two men. The third one who had charged Reiya was on the ground. His hand laid just short of Reiya._

_"Wh-Wh-What the fu-" The affroed man's voice soon clouded behind a screeching gurgle. The third man slowly backs away, mortified by the grave sight before him. He turns around and takes off._

**_Slice_**

_His foot leaves him, tumbling onto the ground after another step on his dismembered limb. As he turns back, with his elbows and feet crawling back against the ground, the pointed teal shaded tail recedes from the ground and back behind the little girl. The tip splits slightly into two halves, forming into a bladed pickaxe, with the bladed ends resembling scythe blades._

_"Shit!" The man grunts, as he looks at the bodies laid across the sidewalk between himself and Reiya. A large hole lied present within both of them, with their punctured hearts producing a coating of blood over them._

_He was no different._

**_SLICE._**

_In an instant, the girl had closed the distance, laying on all fours as her tail swung around and entered the man's body from the side. Blood spurts from his mouth, as the upper half of his body slips off onto the ground, his lower limbs soon following._

_Reiya stared at the harrowing sight plainly, not to be changed when the little girl turned toward her, a worrisome expression across her face. Reiya smiled, throwing a thumbs-up at her, "They all got what they deserved!"_

_She blushes lightly, softly saying, "Thank you."_

_"Hey, I wasn't the one to clean up the trash!" She began to laugh, as does Reiya moments after. Soon, their laughs echo throughout the evening street. It was no surprise when the sound of footsteps became apparent. The kagune returns to the girl and she falls onto the ground. She manages the strength to say, "Hurry...before they see us together." She looked deep into Reiya's eyes._

_Reiya looked back, and smiled. She runs over to the kneeling girl and pulls up her hand with both of hers, stunning the girl. "You're right, we do have to hurry!"_

_She pulls her along at first, with her feet dragging the ground. The dragging quickly fades however, as her feet soon graze the pavement. Through a narrow alleyway they slide through, and as they reach for the other side Reiya asks, "So what's your name?"_

_"...Amaya." She replied. _

_"Awesome, you alone too?" _

_"...Yes." _

_"Me too!" Reiya replied proudly, adding, "From this day on, you'll never have to be worried about being alone ever again!"_

The flashback soon fades as they break from the alleyway, but not before Amaya muttered, "Maybe you're right..."

Amaya sighs, before putting on a sharp smile.

"...It's just as you said, I will never be alone again. And soon, you won't be the special one either."

Behind her, she could hear footsteps slowly growing in volume in the alleyway.

"Nee-chan, what do you say? How does it feel to be so different from your dear little sister? I bet it felt good to be the popular one."

Reiya remains silent for a moment, struggling with her words. "It has nothing to do with being special or popular...not that I was either of those things in the first place. Neither was father. You know how I felt about that, and him too. He was working towards fixing everyone's opinion about ghouls...that you can co-exist with us, like you and Omou-kun have done."

Amaya turns around to face a saddened Reiya, alongside Kaneki.

"Yeah, he was. And ain't shit's come out of it." Reiya quickly flares up. "Dammit, Ama-"

"Shut up, I'm the one speaking, nee-chan. I'm only doing what you two have tried and failed to do; to unite us. And what better way than through blood and body? You and I, we represent the product of human and ghoul. That boy over there and the other one...the one-eyed ghouls...they were the start, and now we're the finish. And now they're our catalysts."

She points at Kaneki.

"Just rip that kakuhou from his body," She extends, offering a truly twisted grin. "And become one with me!"

Her eyes dilate when Reiya motions Kaneki behind her. "Is this really what you've become, sister? You should know better than I do what'll become of us in the end. If that's truly what you want, then I'd rather kill you here than subject you to something worse than death."

Amaya chuckles. Her chuckles become laughs, soon falling into a rage of laughter, growing hysterical by the second.

"So I take that as a no then?"

"Say I _did_ agree to go with you and we both completely turn into whatever Virus wants us to be; can you honestly say that I'll still be the sister you know?"

"You'll be an even better one!"

Her teeth clatter together, creating a strong crushing sound in her mouth. A white substance oozes from her mouth. "Regardless of your answer, nee-chan, you and Kaneki-cchi are coming back with me. **_I'll only eat you halfway and drag you both back, so your beloved Kaneki can enjoy eating the other half of you as much as I'll enjoy eating him whole!_**" The substance begins to cover her body, seemingly dissolving her skin and clothes.

"I hope you didn't think you could just mark what was yours as you pleased, and not expect me to take them from you anyway!"

Reiya blushes at the thought of having marked Kaneki.

_Her mind flashes to the past briefly, back to when she fell onto Kaneki after their initial meeting. She had bitten her tongue just enough for it to bleed, with a droplet slipping into his mouth in amidst his daze. __**WAIT!**__  
_  
"...I didn't think you'd sense me in him."

"You don't think about a lot of things, onee-chan! That's why, **_I'll fix that for you~_**"

Back at the rampaged Aogiri base, Omou sits on his bed, looking at a crumpled picture of Reiya and Amaya, both throwing a peace sign, dressed in black and white dresses and exuberating a prepubescent youth. He looks away, biting his lip in anger. Someone bangs on his door. "The door's unloc-" Without bothering to wait for a response, Ayato walks in, clearly pissed off about something.

"Fuck you."

"Didn't see that coming."

"Tch, yeah well expect to give a good ass answer then. I honestly don't know what the hell she sees in you compared to the rest of us around here."

"Who knows, surely it couldn't be the independent assignments I've taken up to gather information and bring back food."

Ayato scoffed. "Wow, she was right. You really are full of shit."

One of Omou's eyes open to his snarky comment. "Hmm?"

"She said you've been going out gambling all night, and that's if you're not home masturbating to a pair of panties of a girl you've killed on a stray night. Hah, fucking hilarious if you ask me. No wonder you're so calm through the day. I don't know why I was even worried in the first place."

Omou takes a long, deep sigh, before asking, "And you're positive that's everything the boss has been saying?"

Ayato laughs cynically. "You can find the rest out for yourself. Just don't expect showing up to the fight here at the last minute to do anything for ya."

"Thanks for the heads-up I guess...How's your sister doing?"

"Worry about your own damn sister. Better yet, watch over your own damn self. Dumbass." He leaves the room.

A few more minutes he lies around in his room, until finally deciding to go visit Eto.

"I should probably go see what's up."

When he gets up, he immediately thinks of Amaya.

"...Could she?..."

He rushes out of his room and heads for Eto's quarters.

"What would even be the point of telling everyone something like that? To mark me as some kind of traitor would just bring some of the members here to-"

Not a moment too soon, a group of members run towards Omou, only, _"They don't seem interested in just talking…"_ Their scleras turn black soon after. _"Yeah they're definitely aren't interested..."_

He runs toward them, seemingly ready for a confrontation. None were the wiser when he leaped on to the wall to the side and then up towards the ceiling to evade them.

"Sorry, I don't have time for you guys right now." He said in a slightly mocking fashion.

"Shit! He's headed towards the boss's quarters. After him!"

They turn back and rush after him, when Noro appears in front of them. Their confidence fell as quickly as their resolve as he gave a terrifying grin.

"Noro..." Omou smiles faintly, quietly saying, "Thanks."

In front of Eto's door, he thinks to knock for a moment, but then dismisses the thought and goes in.

There she was, on her bed, typing out something on a barely operating laptop. Her hair was bundled in a large knot. Her outfit featured a brighter assortment of colors than her usual attire consisted of; orange and light green. As Omou closes the door behind him, a pencil goes through his hand and pins it to the wall. His legs get swiped clean off from under him as well, leaving him dangling by his hand for a faint moment before the pencil snaps and he collapses to the ground.

"That's for forgetting to knock."

"Was branding me a traitor among Aogiri for the same reason?"

She chuckles. "Would I be so petty? That's the question, isn't it?"

"I don't have time for games."

"Then stop thinking of it as one," she replied coldly. "You ought to be grateful; you're the official punching bag now."

"...Punching bag? Is that why you've been spreading lies about me?"

"You're lucky to have anything to do with us after your involvement a few days ago. Besides, your reputation has never been very positive to begin with. What difference does it make if I simply tipped it off the edge?"

Omou sighs. "So you expect me to just sleep with one eye open now?"

"Is your conviction to face your sister once more strong enough, I wonder?"

She hops off the bed and kneels down in front of him.

"Every day will become a struggle towards facing her again. And in the process, Aogiri grows stronger as a whole."

"How convenient for you."

In a single swoop, Eto's left hand flies off and Omou grabs her by the shirt.

"Then let's say my attention was focused on you instead of her...then what?"

She gives a seductive smile, unfazed by the earlier notion.

"Are you implying that I'm acting out of jealousy?"

"Over me? That wouldn't be like you."

"Then you under-estimate yourself. And what exactly would be like me?"

"...Well-"

They're conversation is abruptly interrupted when the television suddenly turns on, displaying an emergency national broadcast.

Or so it said on the screen.

A man presided in front of the screen, with a familiar abundance of white covering his body.

Panic ensues.

With his mouth wide open, Omou utters, "Th-That's..."

Omou stared in shock at the sight. "Th-that's..."

"Welcome, glorious citizens of Japan."

The sound of the broadcast permeated even through the alleyway where Reiya and Amaya are fighting, as it spread through nearby intercoms and broadcasting screens.

Reiya groveled on the ground, while Kaneki was resigned to watching. Amaya continues her usual cycle of pricking Reiya with the heat of her blood before throwing her across the alleyway.

"I am excited to bring an enlightening discovery to you all. One that will end the feud between humans and ghouls, forever!"

As Amaya approaches Reiya once more, she returns to her human form, with her blood withdrawing back into her body. "Aww, you're no fun." She grabs Reiya by the color with both hands. "You mean to tell me that I did all this worrying for nothing? Hmph, I could've just knocked you around like this and have been f-"

**Plop**

Her eyeballs were missing, and the same white present on Amaya dripped from Reiya's two fingers. She drops her and kneels down to the ground, cowering in agony. Reiya gets up and runs over to Kaneki, grabbing by the hand before taking off.

"In order for that to come to fruition, I'm sorry, humans. Your existence will have to come to an end here. But do not fret, we ghouls humbly accept you, so as long as you all don't oppose to becoming absorbed!"

Crowds of people start running down the street by the alleyway. All the broadcast stations showed a man, wearing a dangerously realistic mask, made apparent after the camera zoomed closer onto him.

It was the face of the late Shinohara.

"From this day forth, I declare you all official members of Aogiri!"

A picture of Aogiri's hideout popped onto the screen.

"Come, come, step right up if you wish to give up your humanity today!"

* * *

Welp, didn't take as long as last week...so that's a start :D

Too bad it'll probably be worse next week...

Also thank you to those who've followed, favorite'd and commented! I thrive off of them and they keep me sane on Tuesdays (god I hate Tuesdays...) D:

Help me, I'm becoming a broken record ._.


	13. Petal 13

**Shackled Light**

Numerous yells and screams inharmoniously flutter about, not to be outdone by the raging footsteps that persisted through the streets as Reiya drags Kaneki by the hand, sifting through crowds of people. She turns back, her eyes beginning to show relief. Kaneki looks down on his hand, being choked alive by hers.

As they rush past a restaurant, Reiya finds a television inside showing the masked man, uttering, "It's quite alright if you're unable to join us. Our doors from this day forward will remain open for all who thirst for a new identity. A new life. A better future."

She looks onto her hand, with a white, transparent fluid still permeating from its tips. For a moment, she thought about Amaya drawing out the same thing not too long ago.

Her hand balls into a fist. She looks into Kaneki's eyes, worried, suggesting, "It's not too late for you to turn back."

He smiles, assuring her, "I'm not going anywhere."

To his surprise, she brings out a bright smile. "Good."

A few more steps and the crowd begins to clear out, revealing Tsukiyama. He catches sight of the two of them.

A few more steps the crowd begins to clear out, revealing Tsukiyama. He catches sight of the two of them.

"...Tsukiyama?"

"K-Kaneki-kun?! Reiya-chan?!"

In the Aogiri base, Omou roughens up Eto, grabbing her by the shirt and shaking her about.

"Are you crazy?! You're perfectly fine with leaving half of Aogiri here to die?!"

He yells out in pain when she drives her nails into his hand. "I am. CCG will want this place cleaned out before people start coming here. If you don't like it, you can always stay and fight with them."

He avoids her eyes, as if she had read his intentions.

"Though, what'd be the point of throwing your life away here? Don't you have things to take care of outside of worrying for others? Like killing me?" Her nails submerge deeper into his skin. His grip on her shirt loosens.

"...Then you understand how important it is that we have as many by our side as possible."

"You expect a few dozen ghouls to leave this place unscathed? We can just make due with what remains. We can always draw in more."

"And who's that coming from? The human or the ghoul?"

She chuckled softly. "You tell me, you're the one who's influenced them both."

He subtly tries to hide his blushing cheeks.

"Even you could stand to act a little less human. You're a ghoul, after all. What's most important is for us to survive."

She leans close to his ear, whispering, "Remember that."

With her eyes leveled with Omou's, she lightly pecks him on the cheek before raising onto her feet. Back on her bed, she resumes her writing.

En route to where Kaneki was being held, he and Reiya catch Tsukiyama up with their current endeavors. "To think you two had to deal with all that by yourselves. It must've been terrifying!"

"Not really." Kaneki reassured him.

"And you're staying with Reiya-chan because you want to help her with her goal?"

"Yes. But it's not something that can be done with just us alone. We need your help, Tsukiyama."

"It'll be up to him whether he'll be helpful or simply death fodder in the end." Reiya added, with a doubtful look on her face.

"Not to worry, madam, as I am quite capable. Even Kaneki-kun can attest to that!"

"You can definitely hold your own..." Kaneki attested.

"For you, Kaneki-kun, of course! Unlike the others, I stayed here to look for you and dear Reiya-chan."

"How noble of you...Are you really the only one who stayed?"

"Yoshimura-san, Yomo-kun, and Hinami-chan all stayed to look for you."

Reiya gives a sarcastic, mellow laugh, insulting his nobility.

"It's not just you two they're worried about. Touka-chan's missing too."

Reiya's expression grew solemn to hearing Touka's name. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Omou's with her." _"And that woman..."_

"In any case, I will join you guys in your plight against these foes of yours. We shall paint them red together."

Reiya looks away. _"And white..."_

Kaneki walks ahead of Reiya and Tsukiyama.

"...Kaneki?" She called out to him, as if he were more distant than he was.

"I think I know where we can go. Virus and your sister won't think to look there."

"It won't matter with Virus, he could just sniff us out."

"It's better than being out in the open like this. Come."

Kaneki continues on, while Tsukiyama admires him in the distance. "My Kaneki-kun's become so much more ravishing. Tres Bien!"

Disturbed, Reiya runs toward Kaneki. _"Creepy..."_

Within CCG headquarters, Amon finds Arima in his office, clad in armor.

**Knock knock**

"Enter." He said with startling speed.

Amon comes in, not wasting any time, "Why the hell are you going? We've already suffered heavy casualties over there!"

"We're not expecting **him** to show up this time."

"We didn't expect him to show up last time either."

"No one here knew of his existence until that day. If that man and the person on tv are the same person, then he won't show up this time."

"And what if he expects you to think that way?"

"Do you doubt me, Amon-kun?"

"Ah...no, but-"

"Then believe in me."

He walks out of his office, patting Amon on the shoulder on the way out.

"Yes...sir."

Evening approaches as they arrive at a medium-sized building plainly nested in the corner of the street. Inside, Reiya and Tsukiyama stare in awe at the decrepit disposition of its interior. Remnants of the scuffle between Omou and Amaya were scattered throughout the building. On the right wall was a large bloody indent, accompanied by a collapsed pillar on the floor a wide trail of blood was smeared across the width of the room, with a dried-up pool at the source.

"This is where they kept me."

Tsukiyama looked around, disgusted at the conditions in which Kaneki had to undergo. "Dear god, is that blood yo-"

"It was Omou's."

"You said Amaya was here too, right?"

"Mm. She was here when Virus left for Aogiri that day. At least until after she fought your brother."

"He wouldn't stand a chance against her, no matter how strong he becomes. I wonder if he's learned that yet."

"I don't think he was fighting her seriously. He seemed like he didn't want to fight her at all, and just allowed her to beat him around."

She laughs. "Yeah, that's just like him...It must've been hard for him to see her like that. Those two were especially close when we were younger. Even though he treated her as a younger sister, I think she began to develop feelings for him."

"So you knew?" Kaneki asked, dawning a puzzled face docked onto his hand.

"She would tell you otherwise, but she was always terrible at hiding her feelings..."

"I see. Well, according to her, you either didn't know or didn't care."

"Hah, she'll probably tell me all about it when we see each other again." She balls up her fists. "Which is why I need to be able to bark back."

"Would you like me to assist-" She puts up her hand, silently rejecting him. "I appreciate it, but it'd be too dangerous. Way too dangerous. It's alright...I'll figure out a way. More importantly, are you sure it's safe to sleep here for the night? What if one of them returns here?"

"I doubt they'll have much reason to come back here, considering what Virus's already done."

"I don't know about that...if they brought you here, they'd probably bring the other One-Eyed ghoul here too, wouldn't they?"

"That's assuming they'll find him by then. We'll just be staying the night."

"Fine."

She heads for the door, before turning back towards Kaneki and Tsukiyama.

"Tomorrow, we'll go search for Yoshimura and the others. And then, we'll go after the other One-Eyed ghoul. We'll need him and Omou on our side if we're going to stand a chance against Virus."

"How do we go about finding them?"

Reiya's eyes sparkle as she decisively answers, "Yeah Tsukiyama, where do we start?"

"You're asking me? Well, they were gathered on a rooftop not too far from the base we went to, last I saw them. They might still be in that general area."

"Then we'll start there. I'll sleep in the room downstairs. Good night!" She gives a playful salute before closing the door behind her.

At the Aogiri base, Eto and a select few are leaving through the back end of the building.

"Are you certain that they'll be here tonight?" Tatara asked Eto, as she pauses for a moment. "They're already on the way here."

"Hmph. And what's been done about that little bastard?"

"I put a target on his back. One you're free to shoot at."

"Hmm? What happened to him being your plaything?"

"I dunno...I guess he got boring." She throws a wink at him and continues on along. But with the next step-

A speeding Omou crashes onto Tatara in place of Eto, with their kagunes greeting one another. The resulting shockwave sends back everyone barring Eto, Noro, and Ayato. Omou lands onto his feet ahead of Eto and the group. Aside from Noro, the other ghouls who were brought along look at him with disgust and anger, chanting "It's the guy Tatara was talking about. The one the boss ordered us to bring down."

"Tch, you must be out your damn mind. You gotta death wish or somethin'?" Ayato scoffed. Tatara held out his hand, signaling them to butt out. "He's mine."

Omou smiles faintly. "I've been looking forward to taking you on."

"Except you're at a disadvantage, boy." In a blink, they make close-ranged eye contact, to Omou's chagrin. "Ngh!" Tatara blows him away with the force of his hands. His kagune lunges for Omou, who narrowly dodges it upon gaining his footing, only to be welcomed by Tatara's fist meeting his face at a blistering speed. Flying through the forest, Omou draws out his kagune, as Tatara appears behind him, his face writhe with a ravenous appetite. "Die."

_"__Shit!"_

A thin, yet plentiful splash of blood soars in the air above the forest. Emerging from it, Omou reaches the city side, with his hand firmly grabbing his shoulder, with part of his sleeve missing, along with his arm. Tatara jolts toward him, not giving him a second to react. Omou barely fends off the speedy strike, recoiling into the ground. _"Damn it, he's just as agile as __**she**__ is. Why..."_

He groans loudly as he barely dodges Tatara's landing. He lands onto his feet and continues running. Tatara watches pitifully. "Even though it's nightfall, the moon shines bright, illuminating your ineptitude as a ghoul. You're no different-" He shifts himself in front of Omou once more. "From the helpless humans you mimic." Their kagunes clash, and Omou breaks off a shard from his wing as it begins to crack and cuts Tatara as he leaps away.

In the distance comes a small group of vehicles.

"Hm?" Tatara looks over, surprised.

_"They're here. There's no time to hold anything back."_

"You're pretty strong. I can see now why she talked so highly of you."

"Hmph...Highly of me?"

He brings a few choice words from his last meeting with Eto.

_"__Don't be afraid to go all out."_

_"__All out?"_

_"__I'm talking about your kakuja. You haven't had much of an opportunity to use it. He's not so weak that you can force him to roll over in your current state."_

_"__You think I'm weaker than him?"_

_"__You __**are**__ weaker than him, if the conditions aren't set up in your favor. Surely, even if you were to use the kakuja, you would still have a hard time."_

_"__...I see."_

_"__Unless you're ready to tell me you've gotten over your sister."_

_A smile catches his lips. "If not, I'm sure that bastard'll help me with that."_

As the flashback subsides, the CCG are seen along the road, closer than they were, already on foot and their weapons docked.

_**"**__**Let's give them a show."**_

He clenches his chest as his kagune returns to his shoulders. He yells out in agony, an image of Eto lingering in his mind. At first, she laid, bathed in blood and licking it off her fingers, the other with her arms reaching out to him in first-person, bearing nothing but her own skin.

_"Ha, getting over Amaya? It's you I need to be getting over."_

The light fades within his mind, in time for his crystallized kagune to reappear. In an instant, two more wings sprout from the initial ones, and begin to pulsate, their dark colors ever more accentuated through their veins, before shattering altogether. He screams in pain. In their place came ghastly shadows, slowly taking shape in the form of wings.

"So you have one too. Have you been saving it for this?"

Omou bends down, nearly touching the ground, and lets out a deep breathe.

_"I'm fine...As long as there's someone waiting at the end, I don't mind submerging into the darkness. The darkness I was born into. The darkness I've grown accustomed to...that's made me into what I am. Through these hands..."_

He disappears from sight reappearing in Tatara's face. **"I will protect the light."** A long smile appears across his face.

* * *

Finally! It's done! Omg, I can't believe I'm actually going to submit this on ti- *stares at calendar* FOR **** SAKE!

Sorry for the late submission! Just recently recovered from two weeks of soda splurging and quite a few all-nighters. I think the last few days I've been going through some kind of withdrawal, cause I could hardly move at all for a few days. ;_;

And then there's Mother's day, hehe. Another reason this got delayed...well you'll see it in a bit, but that aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and more importantly, thank you for those who're still reading this. Saying that it keeps me going would be quite an understatement. xD

This chapter is also available on:  
Wattpad (Lies, more like 3 weeks from now .)

Deviantart

Also check my tumblr page, Zakhiru for updates! (No seriously, I'm actually posting on it again :D)


	14. Petal 14

**Fleeting Darkness**

Arima emerges from the group of investigators toward the forefront of the pack, observing the ensuing fight carefully. Tatara continues to block Omou, whose wings continue to pelt his kagune.

**"That tail of yours is pretty sturdy! I wonder how much it can handle before it snaps."**

He waves his finger towards him. "Come and see, boy."

Upon vanishing from sight, Omou launches two black ghastly spear-shaped crystals toward Tatara. He retracts his tail slightly into a defensive position, swinging it around to his right, leaning in the general direction. An image of him appeared to the right, while striking Tatara from the left, which the tail manages to parry, resulting in a grazing of the left side of his stomach. Before another wing could stab him, he leaped back from the oncoming swing.

For a moment, they exchanged glares, as Tatara noted, "So you are strong. I don't know if you've been bluffing up until now, but, stay just like that for me. I want to kill you just like this."

**"Then why don't you fucking try?!"**

A flurry of black wisps come flying towards Tatara to which he zooms toward his foe whilst maneuvering around them. He leaps into the air, propelling past him and swings his kagune around, when Omou quickly jumps and slashes him by the hip through his kagune the impact only slightly lessened by its momentum. He grabs Omou by the shoulders and his tail comes lunging for his head. Omou grins ominously, startling Tatara. He backs away, landing onto the side of a building.

Investigators of CCG look over towards Omou to see his entire left side covered by his three wings, with blood slightly infused with its otherwise dusk appearance. Blood drips from Tatara's neck.

**"Wanna try that again?"**

Arima watches carefully with his quinque unsheathed.

"What do we do?" One of the investigators asked.

"Just wait. They don't seem to have noticed us yet. Stay on your guard."

The building Tatara was standing by gets slashed, about to fall like a tree. As he jumps away from the collapsing building, Omou closes the distance. Tatara kicks him and shoots his kagune at him. As he ducks under it, slicing the falling building behind him in half, he flashes toward Tatara's back.

Anticipating a lunge, he vanishes from the front, striking him from behind managing to engulf a portion of his hip. He crashes onto the ground. Back on his feet, albeit more slowly than before, he shoots another flurry of wisps at Tatara. He backs away, dodging each of them as Omou rushes at him. Their kagunes clash, with neither able to break through the other's defenses.

Soon, the distance between them and CCG becomes non-existent. With each strike from Omou's kagune, wisps leak out onto the ground, slowly scattering the group. As they continue parrying each other, Tartara looks down briefly at the group flurrying under them.

_"Was this part of his plan?"_ To his surprise, Omou grabs his kagune, thrusting it downward, before swiftly performing a somersault kick, pelting him down his shoulder and launching him into the ground. Tatara swings his tail in a circular motion to clear his landing of the investigators around him. As Omou dives down toward him, he rains a storm of wisps onto the surface. Those attempting to shake off the wisps that landed onto them were struck down by Tatara.

"Everyone get back." Arima commanded, giving little to no warning as he collides with Tatara's kagune. He disappears as Omou approaches them. As two of his wings come near contact with Tatara, he grabs them like limbs, and for a moment, they exchanged frozen stares. As the remaining four wings pelt the mass of Tatara's body, he lands a direct hit through Omou's chest with his tail. They both gasp out blood, both pulling away from each other. In the next instant, they leap from an oncoming attack from Arima. He whips out his ukaku quinque and fires at the both of them, blasting through the wisps Omou rains down.

**"Tch! How about this?" **His uppermost wings clip off halfway flying towards the group.

"Look out!" Arima yelled.

The wings disappear.

"Wha-"

Two bodies fall to the ground, with both the wings injected through their bodies, sending the rest of the investigators into a panic.

"What the hell was that?!" "Did his kagune just disappear?!" "How the fuck did he do that?!"

Still within the vehicle, one of the investigators relay the situation. "Shit! He can break off his ukaku! Mayday, the ghoul before us is able to detach his ukaku as a projectile." An intercom speaks from the vehicle. "What does he look like?"

"His mask completely covers his face except for his eyes and he wears long sleeved black clothing. His kagune consists of six black wings, though we believe he might be a kakuja."

"Interesting. It'll be a problem if it continues its rampage. Make bringing it down your top priority, all of you."

The intercom shuts off. "Yeah, that's easier said than done..."

"It'll be fine. Stay close by me." Arima suggested.

Ahead of the group, Tatara and Omou continue going at each other, their kagunes remaining neck and neck despite their wounds. Omou backs away, allowing Tatara to lung his tail toward him. He sidesteps in time for it to collide with Arima's quinque, shooting a part of both his wings at the both of them. Diving at Tatara once more, the recoil sends Tatara further back down the road. He slides along his kagune to lessen the impact. Omou runs by the side of him and leaps into the air, somersaulting towards him.

_"Persistent brat."_

Upon impact, Tatara breaks through Omou's kagune, hitting him again at the chest. He coils around the tail, detaching two of his wings toward Tatara, while slicing the tail end off, stunning him.

"Ngh, shit!" The tail retracts slightly, and steamrolls through his chest. **"Gauugh!"** The wings pierce Tatara in the shoulders.

**"Gaughhh!"** Omou yelled as the pain increased, or rather, returned to him. **_"I can't keep this up for much longer...ngh."_** He looks up at Tatara, seemingly still able. **_"...he probably still has a lot left i-"_**

Tatara falls to his knees, his hand keeping him from falling flat.

**"Eh?"**

He pulls back his tail once more. "Just die already." He strikes once more, but Omou avoids the lunge, grinding his right wings along his tail as he reaches down to Tatara and headbutts him. They both slide against the ground. Slow on getting up, he jumps into the air once more.

_"It won't matter which of us comes out on top if we get picked off by them."_

He launches more wisps toward Tatara. Tatara barely manages to continue avoiding them as a few manage to find their mark. He launches his kagune towards Omou, striking his arm off, to both their surprise. Omou gives a grin, realizing his condition.

**"Ha...where did all this blood come from? Have I...really not noticed it until now?"**

_"Please...just a little longer..."_

Maintaining his consciousness, he looks up at Tatara, their exchange taking a different tone than before.

_"This last one will probably be it, for the both of us."_

His vision begins to blur from the blood loss. _"Not yet...I can't die to this yet. Come on...one more!"_

They both yell out as they rush each other down. Tatara's kagune flings about unpredictably, with Omou parrying it with his. With the next parry, he flashes away.

"Hmph!" Tatara scoffed as the tail turns back towards Omou, ready to pierce him. "Not this time!"

**"Are you sure?"**

The tail seeps straight through Omou and into Tatara, along with Omou's wings. Blood drips down from Tatara's mask as he collapses onto the ground. Omou falls to his knees whilst the afterimage standing in his place disperses.

His wings completely re-crystallize before submerging back into his shoulders. Spurts of blood drips from his mouth as the rest of the pain comes to him. The image of Eto that had lingered through his mind for the duration of the fight finally fades away.

He hears footsteps down the road. CCG were advancing towards them. His eyes dilated to the sheer mass of them approaching him and Tatara.

"Hurry up...and kill me already." Tatara grunted.

"Shut up." He takes a step, cringing to the pain. He bites his lip and proceeds to lift Tatara onto his shoulder. "What the hell are you-"

"I said shut up. As much as I don't like it, she still needs you."

"Is that the reason you refuse to kill me?"

"That's the only reason...you get to live."

Tatara gives out a slow laugh. "You'll regret that one day."

"That's fine...I'll just have to beat your ass harder next time.

He leaps onto the rooftop with what little stamina remains. He continues onward for a while, hopping between buildings, with each transition more difficult than the next. Finally, his next jump fails to produce lift, and the both of them plummet into a garbage can. Neither one were in a rush to get out.

Back where Kaneki, Reiya, and Tsukiyama are staying, Reiya goes outside, to the backside of the building, sporting an outdoor court with not a soul in sight. There, she plays around with the white energy she managed to draw out earlier. She had bitten into her hand, causing it to form around it. It slowly seeps off from it, with more generating from the wound.

"You know, there's an easier way to do that."

"Wh-who's there?!" She hops off the bench she was sitting on, looking around for the source of the voice. Eventually, she finds him, sitting atop the building Kaneki and Tsukiyama are in. His hair was white, like hers.

"...What do you mean there's an easier way?"

He points at his chest.

"This is the only thing you have to hurt. Just think, about something that's hurt you, and focus on that feeling. Like this."

White energy begin to seep from his eyes. Reiya watched with curious eyes as he slowly became engulfed in it.

"Now, it's your turn." He leaps from the building, en route towards her.

"Or you can just die where you stand. But that'd be boring, don't you think? So please don't bore me."

She closes her eyes shut and thinks quickly back to when she met Amaya at the cafe for the first time, and the sorrow that came with it.

Slowly, white tears seep down her cheeks. _"It worked?!"_

"Attagirl! Now let's have some fun!"

With CCG long since ridden from the streets, likely to have returned to their headquarters, Tatara crawls out of the garbage can, tossing Omou out with him.

"Oh, did I come at a bad time?" A feminine voice lingered through the alleyway.

"Very funny."

Eto approaches the both of them. Noro slowly follows from behind. She crouches down to feel for Omou's pulse.

"Aha, he still breathes. That was quite the show you two put up. I'm glad you boys didn't end up killing each other. I was _almost _beginning to worry."

"...So you knew what he was aiming for?"

"How long ago was it since you noticed?"

"When he attacked you. I would like to think something like that wouldn't have slipped past you."

"Maybe I'm getting rusty! I might need to spar with one of you two to keep my skills sharp!"

"Like you would require something so trivial..."

"You'd be surprised."

"Would you mind explaining what the hell's going on? What is the meaning of this? And why are we not killing him here?"

"Would you still kill him after what he's done?"

"I'd only be correcting the mistake he made by keeping me alive."

"I see...Well, I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that. And to hear that all of the ghouls in the building were given the time to flee."

Tatara's eyes expand to the news for a moment, soon after returning to their usual disposition. "I see, so that's what he was after."

"That was the whole point of you two stalling out the CCG, after all. It worked out too perfectly when they decided to focus on bringing him down too."

"I'm tired of hearing about him."

She chuckles lightly. "In a day or so, we'll be moving over to the base in the 13th ward. I'll explain our next objective from there."

Noro lifts up Tatara onto his shoulder, as Eto does the same for Omou, whispering softly into his ear, "Well done, Omou-chan~" She pecks him on the cheeks and catches up with Noro.

Limping back into her room, Reiya crashes onto the cold hard floor, as if she were laying onto a soft, cozy bed. "...Oww…"

She rolls onto her back and lifts her hand out.

_Moments passed since their brawl, and both he and Reiya sat on a bench, both of them covered in bruises and burn marks._

"Are you after him too?" He asked.

"You mean Virus?"

_"Is that what he goes by? Interesting. I wonder how that'll sound while I'm ripping his organs from his body."_

_"...Then maybe you could come with us? We're planning to track him down soon anyway. At least after we've gathered a few more people."_

_"No thanks, I'd rather not be around too many people."_

_"Okay then-"_

_"However...when you're ready to take this to him, be sure to let me know!"_

_"Do you have a cell phone? How the heck would I contact you?"_

_"You can figure that part out!"_

_He hops back onto the rooftop, waving at her. "Don't die now. If you can help it."_

The next day, Reiya heads upstairs to find the room empty. She rushes out the front door to look for Kaneki and Tsukiyama, when she bumps right into Kaneki, and making him drop the cup of coffee he had for her. She sweats profusely. "Ehehe...I'll pay you back!"

"It's fine. More importantly, why do you look like you just got out of a fight?"

"It's nothing! I was just getting a little practice in last night. But enough about that, where have you two been?!"

"Just to grab some coffee real quick."

"I can see. Hopefully if we find Yoshi, he'll have food for you guys."

"Yoshi?" Tsukiyama nearly spits out his coffee blurting the name.

She blushes mildly, "Y-Yoshimura, I mean..."

"My, you adorable little thing!"

She puts on a disturbing smile. "Why don't you go back to fantasizing over Kaneki?" Tsukiyama freezes in place as she waltzes right by him. "Are you going to show us the way or not?"

"I'll try, but I must warn you that I do not know these streets very well."

"Just try your best." Kaneki tries to comfort Tsukiyama.

"Alright, let's go this way!" He charges on ahead pridefully, with Kaneki and Reiya slowly following. Reiya turns back for a moment, looking up onto the building. There he was; the boy from last night. He throws her a faint smile before disappearing.

_"Soon..." She says to herself as she catches up with the boys._

* * *

SURPRISE! Double releases!

More like catching up than anything...

So nooow I'm back on normal schedule. #Confirmed I'm still alive!

Considering it's two chapters, haven't had a whole lot of time to proofread, which I'll probably do in the coming days before the next submission, so apologies for any typos/grammar hiccups/failed choreography/etc etc etc (heheh, the same could probably be said for 13...)

Also check my tumblr page, Zakhiru, for updates! (mostly just me re-blogging stupid stuff). Finally getting around to being active on there :D


	15. Petal 15

The Aogiri base lied ablaze before Reiya and her ghoul counterparts as they come across it whilst walking down the street.

"At least we won't have to worry about Aogiri being in this area." Tsukiyama suggested.

"Only the same goes for onii-san too…" Kaneki pats Reiya on the head, illuminating her eyes by the touch. "I don't think he'll be too far, especially if you two want the same thing." She shakes her head before revealing a soft smile. "Is that why you two tried to smash each other's skulls in?"

He smiles back, nervously answering, "It was just a friendly spar!" She chuckles. "I'll bet you he'd say it was all your fault for looking at him funny!"

The two shared a quick laugh. "This ghoul in question...you did defeat him, didn't you Kaneki-kun?"

"It was a draw."

"Non! And you didn't **defeat** him?"

"Well he and I were both pretty banged up before we fought each other. Though, even at full-strength, I don't think I would've been able to beat him."

"Nonsense! You need to be more confident in your abilities Kaneki!-kun"

"I'm just being honest. The way I am now's no good for Reiya-chan, much less Omou-kun. I need to be able to make myself useful for when the time comes to face-"

Reiya silences him with the touch of her lips, stunning Tsukiyama behind him.

"You being here is good enough."

"Not for me." Kaneki said coldly, averting his eyes.

The three continue on along the street. A young girl appears behind the corner of a building near an intersection, watching silently from afar. "Onii-san, Reiya-chan, and Tsukiyama-kun...I've found them, so what do we do now?"

"Go ahead and follow them, but not too closely. Inform me if anything weird happens, I'll be over there in a minute. And be careful, Hinami-san."

"Will do." As the girl cuts off communications, "Let's go, Yomo-kun."

**Hot Pursuit**

A mild breeze brushes up against Omou's skin as he awakens, finding himself amidst a park, his back plastered against a short, thick tree. He looks around to find no one familiar in sight. With his hands now tied to his hair, he tries to recollect what had taken place before he lost consciousness. Eto writing in her room. Virus's sudden announcement. Fighting Tatara. Saving Tatara. Falling into a garbage can. Hearing Eto's voice.

Such events glimpsed through his mind. "...Did they leave me behind?"

"Now why would I have that happen?" Eto said, leaning stealthily behind the tree that he had been resting on, wearing a dark red poncho and jeans.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Since I brought you here, of course."

"Where did the others go? What happened to the ones still in the base?"

"Everyone evacuated. The ghouls, Noro and Tatara, along with Ayato should all be in the 11th ward base now."

"And not Yamori?"

"He hasn't turned up since the last brawl at the base. He could be dead for all we know."

"You don't seem concerned that someone as powerful as he was could be dead..."

"Ara, did you develop feelings toward him?"

"Go to he-...Ahem...So if the others have already left, why are you still here?"

"Because I still have a reason to be here. I believe my father might still be hiding within this ward."

"Wasn't he one of the ghouls who came here looking for Kaneki? What makes you think he hasn't left if Reiya left with him?"

"I don't believe Kaneki-kun's left this ward at all is why. And neither has Reiya-chan, or else Virus wouldn't have made that broadcast yesterday. Not only has he gotten all of Aogiri to leave from the building, he's also daring you or Reiya to come face him, along with your dear sister. He must know that Kaneki's with Reiya and I with you. It's the perfect setup for him."

"Suicide mission aside, why not go? Why would he expect us to fall for his plan so easily?"

"Maybe it's an insult to the both of you."

"It works out then, because I really want to fight him."

"You could if you were eager to write the last chapter of your life. I can't promise that I wouldn't go after one of your sisters if you were to do that, though."

"You wouldn't…"

"What you think I would or wouldn't do won't matter to me once you're dead, leaving me to do whatever my heart desires, including finishing what I started."

"Shut up!" He runs toward Eto, but as he draws out his kagune, a sting of pain rushes through his shoulders, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

"Too easy."

"SAY THAT AGAIN! Don't you dare talk about my sisters like that! GAUGHHH!"

On his back, Eto presses her shoes into his shoulders.

"I had no idea you were this weak-minded. And you don't think _he'll _use the same tactics knowing that?"

"I know that already, but they're the only family I have left...the only people in the world who matter to me, aside from you and Noro."

"Hm, family, huh? Now there's some cruel irony."

"Irony or not, that's how I feel. Up until now, you've given me some sense of security. And Noro's shown me his trust and comradery, something the rest of Aogiri severely lack."

"Indeed."

"...Anyway, back to your father?"

"Hm? Ahh yes. Would you care to help me find him?"

"Do you know where he is?"

"I wouldn't need you if I did."

"...Fine."

"Ohhh, that was easier than I thought." She claps mockingly.

"There's still time for me to change my mind."

"Heheh, well at least there's plenty of time for you to make a move on me." She said, whispering into his ear. She reappears behind him. "Unless you want me to make it."

To her surprise, he remained silent and still; unresponsive to her flirtatious advance.

"...Isn't that the source of your kakuja-...well, half-kakuja's power, at least?"

"What makes you think that?" His voice was shaken by her theory.

"It's a secret!"

"Tch, figures." Annoyed, Omou walks off.

"Nee, where are you going?"

"We're not going to find your father by standing around here."

"Hm hm, you have a point there!" She runs up behind him, wrapping her arms around his arm. "They'll never suspect us if we're like this!"

"How convenient for you..."

"And not for you too?"

"I can't say that it isn't…" He responded with a mild tone before she pulls him along.

As they walk through an overpass of a street, Eto brings up the question, "So what was it like? When you let out your kakuja?"

"Terrifying. Like there was something in my chest that got loose. Both the good and the bad that were locked away. I was forced to face it in all its glory once I slipped into the darkness. Even though my kakuja had taken over, one thing kept me conscious through all of it."

She lays her head against his shoulder. "And that thing was me?" He looks away, blushing and in silence, affirming her guess.

"So you love me, and yet, you also wish to kill me. My two favorite things in the world are coming hand in hand in the boy I adore the most. My warmth brings comfort to your heart, and yet strangles it at the same time. To think you still harbor hatred towards me for my involvement in your father's death...how petty, but that's also why you interest me to no end."

His face grows red as he continued to listen to her speak.

"Wanna know something funny? When I first met you, I had to keep myself from eating you on the spot. Your smell was intoxicating for being a ghoul. Even now, your smell's gotten even better, only now, I've managed to develop feelings for you."

His voice grew cold, muttering to himself, _"Coming from you, it's just a big tease for you."_

"They make me want to explode, and I can't even begin to describe what they are. Could you blame me, though? This woman next to you, who didn't know the warmth of her mother or the love and protection from her father? Someone, who as a One-Eyed ghoul, has had to learn to completely assimilate herself with ghouls, void of compassion or love. What does someone like that call th-"

Omou grabs her by the shoulders and homes in on her still-open lips.

"Mmn..." She closes her eyes as she finds herself being overtaken by the touch of his lips, surprised thereafter by their sudden parting.

"As if you're the only one's who's had to live like that!"

"Eh..."

"Just because you're a ghoul, doesn't mean you don't deserve to know what it's like. To be happy, and live happily. It doesn't have to be forever, but once you find it, you have to hold onto to it for as long as it'll la-

She leans her forehead against his lips. She felt warm, and her cheeks looked the part. "I don't remember telling you to stop." She lifts her head and reaches for his lips. Immediately, he quivers to the ground, enraptured by the warm sensation of her tongue. She meets him at the floor, on all fours, as they both gaze at each other, intoxicated by each other's taste. She kisses him once more, slipping her tongue through his lips. He softly touches her neck as her tongue rubs up against his.

With every exhale, their tongues disconnected, and hot breaths followed. Her gaze became all the more intoxicating as did the redness and plumpness of her cheeks. He kisses her cheeks, tilting her head to the side as he reaches her ears, tucked behind her messy green hair. She gives out a sharp moan as her hands begin to grip his shirt. He pushes her against the opposite side of the overpass. "Do you see me as a human to be ravaged? Or a ghoul to be conquered?"

"Decide for yourself." He kisses her on the neck for a moment. In the next, he bites his lip and kisses her once more. He eyes widen as she slips onto the ground, entangling her arms around his neck, seemingly choking him, as she pries the blood from his lips with her own. She licks and pulls on his lip enthusiastically as she rolls on top of him.

"E-Eto, stop."

"Call me Sen when we're out here." The kissing subsides as she raises slightly, still pinning him down. Wiping what remains of his blood from her lips, she suckles on her fingers. "Thank you for the treat, Omou-kun!"

"Yeah yeah, can we get back to looking for your father already..."

"You was the one that started this."

"And this is as far as I'm taking it, at least out here."

"So you admit that you want to do more to me?"

"More than you think."

"Hm hm," She leans back onto him, resting her head against his side. "I look forward to it."

Having asked around the area for the past few hours, Reiya and the others begin to lose hope.

"Gahhh, we'll never find them at this rate! They could be at the other side of town by now for all we know!"

"It's possible...but let's not give up just yet. I'm sure there's a few spots we haven't checked out yet."

A video appears on a screen on the side of a skyscraper behind an x-shaped intersection, showing a masked man with dark hair and ghostly-seeming wings. "...Shadow?" Reiya read from the screen.

"It must be the name they're giving him." Kaneki added.

"An SS rank ghoul...afflitto! He's ranked higher than I am!"

Reiya nonchalantly points at the screen, declaring, "That's Omou."

Tsukiyama takes a step back in shock. "Y-your brother?!"

"Mhm."

"I think so too, though, his kagune looks different."

"In any case, he must still be in this ward, at least. And he's okay! Now if only Yoshimura and the others popped up like that..."

"We'll find them soon."

"I hope so, I don't think I can take much more of this."

"But it's only been a few hours..." Tsukiyama mentioned.

"Now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I've had anything to eat."

A look of suspicion overtakes Kaneki. "You haven't been eating?"

"I forgot I needed to. I haven't felt the need to though, since I would usually have coffee to start the day, and I'm usually fine after that."

"And how long have you lived like that?"

"Can't recall! I guess it must've been a pretty long time."

Kaneki places his hands under his chin as he recalls the days when Amaya continuously ate him.

"What if you tried..." He pulls down his shirt a bit to around his arm, revealing his bare shoulder. "Eating me?"

Her eyes drew a blank. "Kanek-"

Reiya took a hard smack to the face, sending her airborne for a minute before landing roughly onto the ground.

"We'll be having NONE of that."

A few people down the street notice the ruckus from a distance and begins to yell for help. The panic rose as more people ran by to the source of the noise. Tsukiyama pulls out his mask, walks over to Reiya, and places it over her face. He lifts her up over his shoulder before looking back at Kaneki. "I'll be back my dear. Just going to dispose of some filth."

"Tsukiyama! Why!"

"Aww, don't make that pained face. I'm doing all of this for you. With her gone, you'll be free to live as you please. Anywho, better move along now, before they start to show up."

He disappears from sight with Reiya in tow.

"Onii-san!" "Kaneki-kun!"

"Huh?" He turns around and sees Hinami and Yomo running towards him.

"You guys!" He expresses with surprise. "What're you two doing here?"

"To look for you and Reiya-san dummy!"

"We'll discuss that later. Right now, we have to go after Tsukiyama."

Kaneki nods.

"I'll lead the way, he hasn't gone very far." She suggested.

"Okay."

The three head out to look for Tsukiyama.

On the rooftop of the tall building in front of where Kaneki and co were, Suzuya stood by the very edge, with his hands tucked within the pockets of his white pants. "This should be fun. Let's do this, as a _team_!"

At CCG headquarters, Amon leaves through the front door, clad in battle armor, as Arima relays to him through the speaker in his ear, "There's a ghoul fleeing through the south-eastern side of the ward. Your first official mission: exterminate the Gourmet."

"Yes sir!"


	16. Petal 16

**Adieu**

Kaneki, along with Hinami and Yomo roam through the guarded streets of the 13th ward in search of Tsukiyama and Reiya. Even a whiff of them would suffice, as their scent had disappeared from Hinami's nose not long after the chase began.

"Still no sign of them yet?" Kaneki asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm still trying to get used to this myself."

"Don't push yourself too hard." Yomo said in a worried tone.

"It's okay," With a smile, she attempts to ease Yomo's concerns. "I don't know Reiya-san's scent that well, but I do have a good grasp of Tsukiyama-kun's. We should be on the lookout, though. I don't think we're the only ones looking for the Gourmet." Her fear was made evident through the scattering of investigators along the streets ahead.

"They're probably on the lookout for Shadow too."

With a tilted face, Hinami ponders, "...You mean the one they mentioned on tv?"

"That's him."

"We should still be careful." Yomo suggested.

Kaneki and Hinami nod their heads in unison. With cautious steps, they make their way towards closing in on Tsukiyama Shuu.

Elsewhere in the 13th ward, Amon takes a detour on his route to where the Gourmet was initially sighted. Instead, he drives ahead, hoping to cut him off, or at the very least, catch sight of him. On the corner of his eye, as he passed through an intersection, he found the bearer of the mask resembling the Gourmet, mounted on the face of someone lodged onto the shoulders of a tall gentleman in a red patterned suit. He makes eye contact with the gentleman. _What the hell_ were the words that lingered in Amon's mind as he passed them by. He does an immediate u-turn and heads back towards the intersection he had sped through.

The man and the masked individual were not there this time around, to his surprise. "Damn it, he ran off!" He thinks for a moment and realizes, _"__The person wearing that mask was a woman, and yet the Gourmet's a man. Could the one carrying her be the real one?" _He turns into the street and passes by an empty parking building. Or so it seemed, as Tsukiyama emerges from within, scouting the neighboring street.

"It seems you've turned out to be quite the artifact, madam. Just wait until they see the grand finale!" Tsukiyama whispered into Reiya's ear, with her knees planted on the surface, struggling to say anything.

"Afflitto! You don't look so good! Maybe I can find you some food before you keel over too soon on me." He sticks his head out once more, finding no sight of the suspicious car from earlier. "Now you wait here just a moment. I'll be back with something to ease your stomach."

A few blocks away, Hinami stops in the middle of a crosswalk. "Hinami-chan?" Kaneki called out to her, seemingly in a daze.

"I found him!" Her eyes slowly drifted to a building in the middle of the next block.

"Where is he?" Kaneki asked in a startling tone. She points at the rooftop of the building.

"I don't know for sure which one, but he should be on one of those rooftops."

He smiles at her with relief. "Way to go, Hinami-chan!" Grabbing her by the hand, he and Yomo rush through the crosswalk and towards the next block.

Within the parking building, Tsukiyama returns with a deceased man and throws it to Reiya. "Bon appetite~"

She looks away from it, unenthused by the grotesqueness that surrounded the corpse, bolstered by the smell and accompanying taste that would come from it. The notion seemed to take Tsukiyama by great surprise, evidenced by his he storming over to her and grabbing her by the hair. She could only grunt as she lacked the energy to yell and scream.

"Now now dear, I need you to EAT up for me!" He growled in an extremely annoyed manner, smudging her face against the dead body's skin. Her lips remained shut, however, infuriating him. He yelled at her to eat, and the volume in his voice rose and rose. Eventually, tears began to surface down her cheeks, as her lips began to give away to the temptation. He lips completely encircled a piece of flesh, concealing her teeth, as it began to pierce into it. The resounding sound couldn't be hid, and Tsukiyama's angered expression soon meets its end. Finally, she takes a bite out of the corpse. A smile ellipses Tsukiyama's lips, writhe with ecstasy at her sudden submission.

"Do you understand now? You don't require Kaneki-kun's blood for your own satisfaction. You can eat normally just like the rest of us ghouls, deary." He lifts up her chin and continues his rant. "Just because you're different from us, doesn't give you the right to take from u-"

** Chomp**

His tongue came clean off, as Reiya chews on it like it were tobacco. He lets out a loud scream, hindered by his lacking of a tongue.

"**Would you mind if I settled for you then?**"

"Over here!" Hinami points to the direction where the scent had increased as they reach an intersection of an alleyway.

"Is someone else there, Hinami-chan?"

"No, but one of them is..."

"Ngh! Tsukiyama!" Kaneki runs ahead of the two.

"It's not him." She murmured softly.

A loud thud could be heard.

Reiya raises from the ground, seemingly unfazed by Tsukiyama's pushing her. His scleras were black and his Kagune slowly seeped from his back. Reiya merely smiled, sinisterly at that. She spreads out her arms, as if daring him. "**As if you could.**"

He grits his teeth in rage, and charges her. "Why youu!" A sound of piercing flesh was met, though quickly short lived, soon to be replaced by yells of agony. As he slowly drills into her body, his eyes widen in shock, both at the pain seeping through his body and at his inability to pull back.

"**Told you. Gosh, has nothing I've told you about me and my sister sunken through?**"

Nearly the entirety of his kagune had disappeared from sight, with the culprit lying within the white blood oozing from the hole which Tsukiyama had created.

"Gauggh! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"**Beats me.**"

Tsukiyama fell to his knees as his kagune continues to be swallowed up by the hole he created, yelling in pain. "Stop this! I beg of you!"

"**Hmph, party pooper.**" With her bare hand, she severed what remained of his kagune, and he falls to the ground, panting. "...My kagune...what the hell did you-" He attempts to resurface his kagune, to no avail. "Non…NON!"

"**Heh heh, whoops! Sorry about that! But heyyy, at least you still got your life on ya! No need to sweat the small stuff!**" She slaps him on the back, collapsing him to the ground and riddling with tears.

"**It's funny though, isn't it? Apparently, that's the reason I'm the way I am now. I'm meant to replace humans and ghouls. Being able to cancel you out, and not being incredibly reliant on food, that's only natural for someone that's superior to you, isn't it?**"

She turns back and picks up the mask that had been tossed aside. "**An evolution engineered by humanity...perhaps that was the answer father was looking for. But you're not interested in that bit, you just want to get to the good part, am I right?**"

"What're you going to do?!"

She says nothing; only leaving a cold, ominous grin across her face.

As Kaneki comes around the side of the building, he comes to find Tsukiyama's body crashing into the ground. People nearby scatter at the shocking sight, causing a wide panic. A petite body blocks the sun from him for a moment, as he looks up to find Reiya jumping out of the parking building and onto the middle of an intersection.

"**Kane-chan, Kane-chan, ****whereever could you be? Surely, you wouldn't want me to eat you right where you stand, do yo**-" She turns, and to her surprise, there he was, standing baffled by her uncharacteristic expression of sinful joy. Their reunion was halted by a speeding car, coming out of practically nowhere and ramming into her.

"Gotcha!" Amon yelled gratuitously, if only for a moment before Reiya's feet could be heard on the roof of his car.

"**Hm hm, did you now?**"

"Heh, what exactly do you take me for?" He swerves towards an oncoming building and somersaults out of the vehicle. While the vehicle crashed into the building and erupted into a small explosion, Amon stood alongside his suitcase. "My first target was to be the Gourmet, but if you're the one who defeated him, I'll settle for you instead!"

**"Sounds like you're looking for a cookie."**

"You wouldn't be too far from the truth..._Is she...really a ghoul?_ Ngh!" He dodges a glass shard being flung at him, before blocking an oncoming kick with his suitcase. She lets out a quick whistle. **"Hey, you've got some reflexes on ya!" **

"You're one of the first ones to see me in action after a long time. Try to keep up." He slips behind her and smacks her in the back of the head with the suitcase, simultaneously sending her flying and unsheathing his quinque, revealing a long, thick blade.

He strikes her with the blade, pummeling her into the ground. Reeling the blade back, Amon proceeds to slam it down once more.

"You're open, Amon-kun." He yanks his blade downward in time to block the white-haired boy's thrust.

"Ngh! J-Juuzou-kun."

"Yo!"

"Why...are you here? Nearly everyone in that operation died."

"You just answered your own question, detective Amon-kun. _Nearly_ everyone. Long time no see! Where've you been? Surely you haven't been sitting on your thumbs...while Shinohara was fighting to the death." His expression grew cold as he mentioned Shinohara's name.

"I didn't-"

It's fine, it's fine. It works out that things turned out this way. You see, I can't allow you to kill this girl. After all, she's my partner."

"**Pfft, partner?**"

"Juuzou, what are you planning to do?!"

"It's very simple really...I only wish to kill those responsible for allowing Shinohara to die. If you truly wish to mourn Shinohara's death as you say, you can either help me take down the ones responsible for digging out his grave, or you can just die here. Personally, I prefer the 2nd option, cause it's faster!"

"...I'm sorry, Juuzou, but I cannot allow you to do either of those things. I will stop you here. If I'm hearing you correctly, then even the brass of CCG wouldn't be pardoned from your judgment. Even if I were to help you take them down, you'd go after anyone you believed to be apart of his death, and I don't wish to be caught up in the wildfire. What then would be the point if it was for him?

"I don't expect you to understand Amon-kun. But as you wish, I'll just have to kill you after all."

Reiya takes a deep breath. "_If even a ghoul as strong as Tsukiyama couldn't stand a chance against the likes of me, how would a human fare any be-" _As Amon and Juuzou begin to duke it out, Kaneki sneaks up behind a speculative Reiya and swoops her from the ground. "K-Kaneki!"

"Geez, you're such a mess! Did Tsukiyama-kun hurt you?"

Her face turned solemn as she hid her eyes from him. "You ought to be more worried about him." He felt her nails digging into his neck.

"I really don't...want to eat you..." Her blushing, craving eyes took Kaneki by surprise. "Well, Amaya-san's already had a taste, so it couldn't hurt that much for you to have the same." Her eyes began to glow.

"I probably won't hold back though..."

"I think it might be why you didn't stand much of a chance the first time against her. Even a normal ghoul's weaker without food."

"Yeah..."

"What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing. I'm probably over-thinking things. _I wonder...if I ate Kaneki, if he'd go down like water too..._"

Kaneki takes a sharp turn into a corner, and rams into Omou.

"Omou-kun!"

"You?!"

**Thud**

Reiya slams face-first into the pavement. With her forehead bruised, nose bleeding, and a tooth hanging from her mouth, she lets out furiously, "Hey, learn to watch where you're going next time baka-" Her eyes met Omou's. "-mou-kun..."

"Reiya..." The two stare at each other for a moment...maybe two.

Finally, he throws a grin. "First time in two years we've seen each other and you're already mouthing off at me? Typical." She hides behind an uprightly sitting Kaneki when she notices Omou gazing at her long white hair.

"...It's okay, I already knew."

She pokes out her lips. "That's not it."

"I don't know what else it could be. I was the one who left you two alone back then. Whatever happened since then's my fault."

"It sure shows on your face...Eh?" He pats her on the head, with a relieved smile on his face. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Who says I am?"

"You're still an asshole, soo..."

"Ehh, you wanna say that again? I could kick your ass right now if I wanted to!"

"I'll bet. Too bad lil sis beat ya to it!"

"Omou-kun, are you going to introduce me to your friends already?"

Kaneki and Reiya look up at the dark green haired woman before them.

"Yeah yeah, this is-"

"The leader of Aogiri?" Reiya interrupts.

"Eh." Eto and Omou said in unison.

"How did you-"

"Ara, I knew there'd be no point if we met again like this. Well done, Reiya-chan! Your sister's got quite the nose, Omou-kun."

"Watch out!" Reiya leaps for Eto, bringing her down in time to dodge Amon's slash. She, however, was not so fortunate.

"Reiya-chan!" "Reiya! You bastard!" The boys yelled, quickly on their feet.

"Damn it, Arima-san, I said the white-haired one!" Said a tall figure emerging from the alley behind them.

"Both the girl and Shadow are here. It wouldn't be a stretch to believe that the other two may also be ghouls."

"How did you find me out so quickly?" Omou asked hesitantly.

"Your mask doesn't conceal your hair, though they share the same color. Good work today, Amon-kun."

"Thank you, sir! It would seem your training will be put to very good use. Once I get back to the office, hopefully they'll have the modifications for Kura ready by then. Perhaps by then, we'll be able to take on the big one. The one who's now believed to be superior to the Owl himself."

"Perhaps, but you still have a bit ways to go. Stay sharp."

"Yes sir!"

"The fact that you guys have shown yourself at this time puts us at a disadvantage. However, the same would go for you too, am I right, Shadow?"

_"Shit, I can't fight these guys, not the way I am now."_

"That makes things simple; we'll just kill those two and take the girl in."

"Wait, what do we do about the other one?"

"If she's a ghoul, it'd be best for her to not reveal herself."

"No, I mean she's not here at all!"

"Then she probably fleed the scene, which would be the smart thing to d-" He swiftly whips out his defensive quinque as it collides with Omou's kagune. "You can fight already?"

"You two sure looked like you had this all under control. Unfortunately for you, I don't plan on fleeing from this fight."

Omou looks up, surprised by her answer. "Eto." Arima kicks Omou in the face and rams him with his quinque, Ixa.

"Gaughh!" Omou crashes into the building under which Eto was standing over.

Arima's quinque quickly switches stances and fires off a thin electric blast at him, zapping him through his teeth.

"Disappointing." Eto noted, as her kagune appeared from her shoulders, enshrouding herself and Reiya.

"Reiya-chan. Reiya-chan!"

"Mm...Hm? Eto was there to greet her eyes, though gravely more bare than before."

"You look hungry...Would you care for a snack?"

She pokes out her lips in dissatisfaction. "...I'd rather bite Kaneki."

"Hmmm, that's fine. Except, he won't be around much longer to satisfy you."

Reiya remains silent, stricken by the gravity of the situation implied by her comment.

"You want to save him though, don't you?"

"I have to, or else him and Omou-kun'll-"

She whispers warmly into Reiya's ear.

"Then eat up. Consider it a part of your revenge."

She grabs Eto by the shoulders.

"Not for revenge, but because I want to protect everyone. With what I'm capable of, I should at least be able to do that much." She soon sinks her teeth into Eto.

"Bold words. I'll have to hold you up to them!"

Amon and Kaneki parry one another's blows, with Amon slowly taking larger strides in his attacks.

"This won't do. You won't do."

He breaks through, slicing Kaneki's kagune in half.

"You're not worthy of my strength. Why are you so weak, Kaneki Ken?!"

_"Weak?" _Kaneki thought to himself. "I'm just getting warmed up!" Another tentacle sprouts from his back and swings toward Amon. He splits off his quinque and blocks the swing, before thrusting the other blade toward Kaneki. "Game over!"

Another limb from Kaneki's kagune comes flying off, along with the sharper half of Amon's quinque. Reiya stands in between them, with both her arms encased in a hardened white shell.

"Reiya-chan!"

"You again!" Amon yelled.

Reiya took a quick sigh of relief. "I made it..."

"Well done, Reiya-chan~ Now then, why don't we begin as well, Arima-san?"

"Owl..."

* * *

Definitely the hardest chapter I've done thus far. Soooo many different routes I could've gone, and yet not one of them will leave me feeling better than the other...

Lots of...stuff happened. Trap cards placed and yadayada. No regrets

Next week's gonna be a blast! No seriously, explosions and crap...

Thank you guys for sticking with it for so long! It fuels the madness! :D

UPDATE: Lots of overnight QCing, and now my conscience is cleared (about 90%). To those who've read this chapter before then, my sincere apologies!

So many typos...and trap cards everywhere.

But ya know, you loved it anyway :D

...*sobs*


	17. Petal 17

**Intervention**

Flat against the cold concrete, Juuzou raises from the ground, however slightly, with noticeable struggle. In the distance, he saw Tsukiyama, slowly getting up himself. A small intersection separated the both of them, and a familiar white-haired woman emerged onto it, obscuring their view of each other.

Tsukiyama reaches out his hand and calls out to her. "Damn...you…"

She turned her back toward Juuzou, casting a cold, empty glare toward Tsukiyama. "Hm?"

"Give me BACK my kagune! GIVE IT BACK!" He yelled with fierce desperation.

She walks over and crouches down before him, smirking at him. "I wonder, was I the one who did this to you?"

"DAMN YOU."

"Hmm, well that's not very nice. What do you wish to do to me once you've recovered from your pitiful state? Trample me?"

"YES!"

"Dissect me?"

"YES!"

"**Ravage** me?"

"YES YES YES!"

In an instant, Tsukiyama finds himself rolling through the sky, soon laying sight upon his body, lying lifelessly on the ground.

"Know your place, ghoul. The food chain has long since changed. AndI'm afraid I don't have time to play with a demented fool who's stuck in the past." She commented coldly, as the white hardened blood over her hand began to seep back into her skin.

"I'm coming to play, nee-chan, so I hope you're not having too much fun without me!"

As she turns around, she notices a severely injured Juuzou on the ground. Their interaction took a different tone than with Tsukiyama. She smiled at him with soft lips and wicked eyes. "So you did accept _his _invitation. How does it feel, having _my_ blood coursing through your veins? You must've become so intoxicated by the power, that you never thought there'd be any catches. Like **death**."

Juuzou's pupils expanded, astonished by the looming side effect that came with his newfound power. She tilts her head and laughs. "No need to fear though! Luckily for you, your creator and therefore, master, is here to save you!"

Standing in front of him, she crouches down and presents her arm before him. "It's up to you, however, if you wish to continue on living. Take as much as you need, who knows if you'll be fortunate enough to cross paths with me again."

After a moment, he brings himself up and looks firmly into her eyes, with a slight smile. "Oho, don't mind if I do. But...if I'm dependent on you, who are you dependent on?"

She hovers her fingertips against her lips, answering, "That's a secret~"

A few blocks away, the swooshing sound of whiffed blows from kagunes and quinques alike flourish through the air. Propelled into the air, Eto rains a flurry of shards down onto Arima. He disappears in an instant, meeting her in the air. He fires off once more with his unsheathed quinque, Narukami, immediately switching stances as she flurries from the blast, impaling her in the shoulder. "**Ngh!**"

Omou watches from below, cringing at the state of the battle. He looks over to his left.

"Listen to me, both of you! We don't need to be fighting each other like this! What point is there in leaving ourselves vulnerable to the real enemy?"

Amon scoffed, tickled by what seemed to be a joke to him. "Real enemy? You mean the one staring right at me?!"

"Move Reiya, I can defeat him myself!" Kaneki grabs her by the shoulder and shoves her away, as their quinque and kagune clash once more.

"I admire your courage and determination, miss, whatever you may be. However, stand in my way again, and I won't hesitate to slice you down. You will not interfere with this battle's outcome. "

"...Please stay out of this, Reiya-chan." They back away from each other, readying themselves with a deep sigh.

_"__I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I,"_ Reiya thought.

_ "But if this drags on any longer…"_

Amon centers himself, as does Kaneki, before both lunging toward each other. Every swing from Amon is met with a block from Kaneki's tentacles, as his retaliations are met with the same from Amon. The next time they clash, however, Amon parries one of Kaneki blows with one of his blades, and he slams the other onto it, transforming it back into a two-handed weapon. With ease, the tentacle gets severed, and as Amon recoils toward Kaneki, he flashes behind him and continues his swing from behind. In the nick of time, Kaneki blocks with his remaining tentacles, but the collision sends him flurrying through the ground. As he lied flat on the ground, Amon walks over to him.

"It seems this is the difference in our strength, as it stands. You fought well, one-eyed ghoul, but the victor here is-" Reiya stands in front of him, visibly annoyed. "You've proven your point, now leave us be." Amon chuckles.

"Leave you be? What about all of the innocent people who wished for the same? They didn't get that choi-"

"How is that any different from if it were a human?"

"...You dare compare us to a gho-"

**Slap**

Amon's face tilted and visibly shocked by not only the notion itself, but by the seeming lack of motion involved. _"Did she even move? How did she-"_

"With that mindset, you're just as much scum as the ghouls you despise."

Her statement took him by surprise, nearly robbing him completely of breath.

"Just like people, there are ghouls out there who wish for peace, and to live in harmony with others. Just because they live off of humans to survive does not make them any more or less capable of living among people. For you to rob those type of ghouls of the right to live, I won't stand for it. You claim to protect the innocent? Then don't you worry, 'cause I'll accomplish that goal in its entirety. For both humans and ghouls. Anyone who stands in the way of that will not be getting any mercy from me."

She lets out a long sigh, winded from her mild speech. Finally, a smile appears on her face.

"...Why? Why do you look so happy?"

"...I think, I can be at peace fighting like this now."

Suddenly, white droplets roll from her cheeks, slowly consuming her entire being.

_"Though my power doesn't have a definite shape or form like a normal ghoul does, my heart can at least serve as a guide."_ She gets on all fours as the blood completely embraces her. The shape of her legs change, her stance grows agile, and white glowing claws begin to form from her covered hands. A sharply pointed tail protrudes from her back, and her eyes lose their color, in place of a snow white disposition.

Amon stares in awe at the beauty of the glowing white leopard that stood before him.

"I am not your enemy. This boy is not your enemy."

In a flash, she appears behind him, walking towards the corner of the intersection nearby. Blood slowly drips from his neck. "Do not become my enemy." She said, as her eyes met the other recipient of her statement. "Yo, nee-chan."

"Amaya."

The sound of her name jolts Omou, who turned to the direction of the sound, only to be interrupted midway by the sound of dismemberment. Eto's arm had been sliced off as she attempted to slip around Arima. From his coat came another suitcase, and Ixa emerging from it. The quinque pierces Eto through the stomach.

Omou's eyes dilate at the sight. "Etooo!"

When he stands up and tries to take a step forward, his mind begins to grow blank.

**"What are you sitting around for?" **  
** "She's going to die." **  
** "How long are you going to hold onto your humanity"**  
_"It's your fault."_

Omou shrieks in pain as he falls to his knees.

"Sounds like you guys are having fun. Surely, you didn't intend to leave me out of the fun?"

"This doesn't concern you."

"It doesn't? But, what you said just now...surely you were addressing me as well, weren't you? Is that how you intend to make use of the rest of your life? Is that your answer to obtaining a power that surpasses this world? Become some kinda superhero?"

"I can't do that without you."

"And what if I don't want to?!" She hissed with a noticeably more startled tone.

Reiya raises a paw, giving off the sound of a sniper rifle firing, as she pierces through Amaya, taking the form of a thin, white beam, before reappearing behind her.

"How long are you going to keep pretending, Amaya?"

Blood spills from her side as she let out a quick gasp, her pupils immediately expressing her bewilderment.

"This whole time, I always thought you were ahead of me. But when I realized what I was missing, it began to make sense. This power we have...it doesn't answer to our call, but to our heart. Even now, you still haven't learned that lesson. Am I wrong?"

"...So what? Who said I was expecting anything to chance once I've become like this? It's not like this power would make anything else but more than what I've already been. A monster. A parasite. A-"

Reiya rubs her head against her.

"Reiya. I'm sorry, for becoming so screwed up!" She said finally, as she looks back to Reiya, void of resolve and filled with tears, before collapsing to the ground.

"None of this was your fault..."

With the sun now among the horizon, Reiya returns to the corner, to find Amon watching from afar.

Though faintly, Eto attempted to pull herself from the quinque, only to be impaled further by Arima's force. A shaken Omou raises onto his feet.

Noro blocks him off with his arm, shaking his head in disapproval. "Noro-kun?!"

"Tch, backup. Arima-san!"

"We're leaving." Arima declared.

"Same here," Tatara said, emerging from behind Omou. "Just hand him over and we'll be on our way.

"Shit, it's Arima Kishou, of all people." Ayata said as he walks up next to Reiya. She looks up at him, surprised. "You again?!"

"Reiya-chan?"

She looked back to see where the voice came from. "...Touka-chan..."

"Is that...really you?"

"I should be asking you that. I thought..." She recalls when she last her saw in Ayato's arms. _"...Right."_

"Yeah, I should've. But here I am, no thanks to this bastard."

"Tch, I'll kill you anytime I want, so watch your tongue."

"Like I'd waste it on you."

"Why you-"

Arima throws Eto over to Omou.

"Let's get moving, Amon-kun."

"Yes sir." As he walks toward Arima, he looks back at Reiya. He nods his head at her before leaving. Arima leaves a few parting words. "I suspect that we will cross paths again soon enough, Shadow.

Reiya stands onto her hind legs. "What the f-" Reiya's normal shape returns, as the white blood boils back into her skin. She walks over to Kaneki, lying unconscious on the ground. As she lifts him onto her shoulder, Touka comes up behind her and lifts the other side.

They look over at Omou and the others, and see that Eto's kakuja had vanished, leaving her plain, albeit bare body within view. Her appearance stunned everyone excluding Reiya and Omou. "What the fuck, our leader's a woman?!" Omou grits his teeth and rips his shirt off, covering her with it. He then runs off with her in his arms.

"Omou, wait!" Reiya called out, but her voice could no longer reach him.

"Hmph." Tatara grunted, signaling the others over to him as he chases after Omou, with the others soon following. "Stay with them, Touka-chan."

"Tch, like I'd stay with you anyway, asswipe."

"You'd be dead fucking weight anyway, useless baka nee-chan." He runs off after Tatara and Noro.

Soon after, a white van slowly appears behind them. When they look back, they see Yoshimura and Yomo in the front seat. "Yoshimura-san! Yomo-kun!"

Reiya said nothing, merely staring, with disbelief. "You guys were just watching, weren't you?"

"Why would you think that, Reiya-chan?"

Yomo and Hinami come out of the van and run towards them, lifting Kaneki from them. Touka runs over to Amaya and checks her pulse. "I already know she's okay..."

"Then get over here already and help me lift her up!"

Hesitant and blushing, she turns her back on them.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Reiya-chan?" Yoshimura asked her, peeking his head from the window.

She wipes her eyes to keep tears from emerging, before running towards Touka and an unconscious Amaya.

_"Not all the answers, but I've found my own." _Reiya declared to herself as she lifts Amaya into the van and drives off with Yoshimura and the others.

* * *

R.I.P. - Farewell, *insert dead character here*...you did good, but unfortunately, you just didn't have enough plot armor

What's starting to happen now is that I don't actually start cringing until after I've submitted a chapter...which is bad, cause ordinarily I wait until the cringing stops (via tons of rewrites) **before** submitting. I need you back misplaced fear!

Anywho...hope you've enjoyed this chapter...or just hate me for wiping *insert dead character here* off the map. Either one works

Better time than last week by almost a week, so there's that to be proud of! Ahem, anywho . Thank you so much for reading, and for commenting, fav'ing and following as well!

Now time to go read 31.5 and watch the real master at work...


	18. Petal 18

**Live**

The street in which Reiya, Arima, and many others fought had long since passed Omou's rearview mirror, as he traverses through an overpass overlooking a large freeway below.

"Tch, things were going good before the rest of them showed up. And, that woman…" Amon said, slamming his fist against a brick wall next to him.

"We will face them again. It's fine that things turned out this way, now that you'll have a quinque more befitting of your current skill."

"Ah, you're right."

Arima hands Amon a phone, showing a blinking light on a map, surprising Amon. "Wait, you…"

"Like I said, _next_ time."

With Eto tightly nudged between his arms and his legs unwavering, Omou passes through mile after mile in search of a place of refuge.

Juuzou was on his way back to his apartment, having shown up to the battleground long after it's accompanying battle had passed. His face grew pitiable as he recalled what had occurred during that time.

_Juuzou leaned against a brick wall securing the corner in which Reiya and the others were fighting Amon and Arima. In the middle of proceeding forward, he was suddenly stopped, with a hand touching him on the shoulder. He looked back; it was an image of Shinohara._

_"__Shinohara-san!" He said nothing back, only smiling brightly at him._

_"_**Live.**_" The image uttered. "Live, for my sake." The image subsides into nothingness, leaving Juuzou once more to ponder his actions. _

_Ultimately, he had chosen to back off and watch the fight break out, when Reiya said something enchanting. "_This power we have...it doesn't answer to our call, but to our heart._"_

"...My heart?" He said, as he grasps his own chest. A thought of Shinohara loomed across his mind. "...For Shinohara-san." He said with, at last, a smile on his face.

As he passes by a school building, he finds a playground, adorned with a large tube among other things. Looking relieved, he rushes over and into the tube, laying Eto onto the ground. He stops for a moment to admire her features; the smell of her skin; the touch of her deceptively smooth skin, eternally covered from broad daylight ordinarily; the sound of her breathe, though exhausted; the sight of her slim, bare body, in the moment unhindered by the shirt he had covered her with earlier.

"...What the hell happened? Is Arima Kishou seriously that strong? Or, did you let your guard down?...Or was it something else?" He uttered softly, searching her body for any lingering injuries from the fight. When he turns her onto her stomach, he notices a pair of bite marks on her back, to his surprise.

"What the…How long has that-"

She turns to her side and grabs his hand. "Since before you woke up." Eto said in a weakened tone. "I needed you on your feet as soon as possible. So I offered myself to you." She presses his fingers onto her shoulder. "You were supposed to take from here, though."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that when I woke up?!"

"You'd just become useless if you knew."

"I'm useless now…"

"Then you can spend the rest of the night feeling useless in my arms." She whispered. She brings her arms around his neck.

"You can't be serious."

"You're the one who's not serious."

He looks away nervously. "Does it hurt you that much to fall in love with someone like me?" She added.

"That's not it."

"It's okay if it is. I don't care. I'm only acting upon my instincts. Would you care to guess what they're telling me to do right now?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to hear it..."

"To be with you. Forever. To be one, with you."

At once, his face becomes flushed to her comment.

"If you feel so guilty about betraying the people you care about, then let me continue to be the one forcing herself onto you. After all, I don't dislike that about you~"

"I don't hate you."

"...Eh?" Her tone and expression gave away her bewilderment.

"I mean, I did hate you, at some point. For what happened to my father. But then, it turned into something that I wasn't ready to accept. Or rather, I was struggling to accept the fact...that I was falling in love with you. Since then, I've never been completely honest with you. For as much as I cared about you, I didn't want our relationship to change, thus I've kept you at a distance."

"Have you now?" She replied mockingly.

"No thanks to you...The reason I'm like this now...the way I feel about you...It's all your fault in the end. Every single bit of i-"

She pulls his head onto her chest. "Then perhaps I should take responsibility for that, and make you mine."

"You've already done that when you sank your teeth into me."

"The way humans do, baka."

"Figures." His face continued to fume, while hers remained leveled.

_ "__Even in a situation like this, she always manages to seem so calm and cool...Even when her heart isn't." _He kisses her between the chest.

"If it's you...I could probably live with the consequences." He could feel it; her heart fluttering, shaking. "As long as you're okay with it being me."

"I should be asking you that." She kisses him on the forehead as he props her up.

"I'll probably be pretty bad at this, so I'm so-"

She presses her lips against his. "Just go slow, there's no rush."

Contrary to his flushed face, he slowly caresses her hips and kisses her. Her depleted energy was evident through each touch of their lips. Omou leans upward and kisses her forehead. She pulls his hands up to her chest.

"Not too slow now…"

"R-right…" He began to run his fingers against her breasts, getting a feel for their soft, plushy touch. He looked into her eyes, but they were shut, though her lips were slightly opened. "Am I hurting you?"

"Not at all." Her rosey red cheeks gave weight to her claim.

"He squeezes them a bit more firmly, inducing an intoxicating sound from her lips."

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"S-Stop...worrying about me. Just, d-dig in."

"...Okay."

Her noises never met their end; rather, they flourished throughout the evening.

A few days have passed since Reiya and Omou reunited for the first time; since CCG has learned of a mysterious young woman believed to have a rare form of kagune. Eto was still recovering from the events of that day, in more ways than one. Juuzou greets the morning sun the same way he's done since recently, giving off a subtle smile, reaching his hand into the sun. The change in his expression from before was night and day.

For the first time since that day, Amaya opens her eyes. There, Reiya stood, sitting by her side. And there they both stared at one another, and both moving their lips hesitantly, and have yet to produce any words.

Finally, Reiya muttered, "Yo!"

Amaya remained silent for a few more moments, finally replying, "...Yo."

Reiya's eyes lit up a bit, with a mild smile crossing her face as she nodded in satisfaction.

"You're finally awake."

"Rei-"

A swooshing sound, quickly followed by the sound of a slap ensued briefly and swiftly.

"That's my answer to your request to die. If that's seriously your answer for what you've done, and for what you've been subjecting yourself and I to...to run away from the problems and just throw them onto anyone and everyone, go right ahead. But that's not going to resolve anything for anyone. After everything that's happened, you really haven't changed one bit. Even now...would it kill you to just be a little selfish for once in your life?!"

She recalls the moment she kissed Omou back at the abandoned building. "..."

"With the way you've been doing things lately? I'm not surprised. Up until now, you haven't been yourself. You've caused a lot of pain for Omou-kun and I.

"I'm sorry."

**Slap**

"Do you have any idea how happy Omou-kun might've been to see you again?! How happy I was?!" Tears begin to surface from Reiya's eyes.

"I'm sorry." The same goes for Amaya.

**Slap**

"You was just fine as a ghoul! I loved you just fine the way you were! Why did you have to change so much just because of what that bastard did to you? Am I really to blame for making you that way?"

"I'm sorry."

**Slap**

"Sorry's not going to cut it! The only way to prove that you're sorry is to just LIVE and suffer. Live to see us suffer for your stupidity. And also live to overcome this pain together. Aren't we family?"

Amaya's eyes slam shut as she dives onto Reiya's chest. Her arms were shaking and her tears began to flow endlessly.

"I'm sorry."

She pats her on the head and hugs her back. "Like I said, this was never your fault to begin with. Buuut quite a bit of it is now. Just be thankful that you can still repair it, as long as you're willing to fight."

"...Yeah."

Reiya lets out a long drawn-out chuckle. "You know it's funny…"

"What is?"

"I always thought how we were the opposite of each other. You always seemed like you'd fit better with humans, while I was more drawn to ghouls. Ironic how we end up becoming the same thing, whatever it is that we are."

"I don't think even Virus had one for us."

"Well, I think I might've come up with one?"

"Eh?"

"Mhm. We're what I'd like to call, Shinkakus!"

"Shinkaku?"

Reiya points at the center of her chest.

"Shining Heart! Since the source of our power comes from our blood, which comes from our heart instead of a kakuhou."

"You could say that the heart is our kakuhou in that sense…"

"Maybe...but...w-whatever!"

"Reiya-chan."

"...Yeah?"

"What are we going to do now? Or...what do you plan to do?"

Reiya laughs, rubbing Amaya's hair. "You said it right the first time. First, we have to wait for Kaneki-chan to wake up. He's been out for as long as you have."

"Kaneki Ken...oh, that boy. I'm sorry for what I did to hi-"

"How about you stop apologizing before I get back on my slapping spree!"

Amaya nods her head nervously.

"Anyway, when he gets up, we're going to go look for Omou-kun. After that, we'll remove a certain virus from this world."

"It won't be as easy as you think. Remember, he is the one who created us."

"Yeah yeah, I know. I can't imagine he'd give up his ghoul powers to become a Shinkaku though. That's why he's been trying to get one of us to step up to the plate for him."

"Yeah, although, we're not exactly the only ones anymore. There's also one other boy like us."

"Juuzou-kun?"

"You know him?"

"I've met him before, though I can't really say I know much about him."

"I have to-..."

"Amaya-chan?"

Her face had become covered with shame and disgust. "I've killed that day."

The sparkle in Reiya's eyes had dimmed. "Ahh, was it Tsukiyama-kun? The tall one with purple hair."

"That's him."

"I see. Well, it's no biggie, I think we were reaching the end of our partnership anyway!"

"...Is that so? I guess shouldn't feel so bad about it then..." She plays with her index fingers. "Reiya-chan?"

"What exactly have you been doing while I was asleep? Surely you didn't just wait here for me."

"I've been studying the whole time."

"Study?"

"About us, our kind. That's how I came up with the name Shinkaku. And a few other things as well..."

"Ahh...just like father…" She shakes her head from divulging into thought. "What did you find out?!"

"I'll tell you once Kaneki gets u-"

"I'm right he-"

"Gahh, don't scare me like that!" Amaya and Kaneki both stare at Reiya, trying to keep from laughing, to no avail.

"Are you feeling any better, Amaya-san?" Kaneki asks.

"...Mm. Thank you."

"See, some of us are quick to forgive!"

"This'll all be over once Virus is dead anyway, I have no reason to hold grudges."

"Haha, I guess you're right." Amaya said, smiling.

"And what about you, Kaneki-chan?" Reiya asks, implying about his current health.

"I've been up for a few days now."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"You seemed really focused on your research, and Yoshimura told me not to interfere."

"That old bastard..."

Yoshimura and the others enter from the neighboring room. "Good morning!" He, Touka, and Yomo said with relief.

"Mornin' Yoshiii...mura-san! Touka-chan! Yomo-kun! Come come, sit down! I have something important I want to tell everyone!"

Elsewhere, Omou sits on the floor, a good distance away from the tube Eto was sleeping in. Noro and Ayato were sitting next to him, with Ayato running at the mouth. "Tch, it took for-fucking-ever to find you two, and here you are hanging around in this shithole."

"Sorry to disappoint you...I don't see your sister with you. Did she die or something?"

"It's none of your business what happens between the two of u-"

He takes a hard smack to the face, collapsing onto the ground. Omou touches his knuckles, surprised by the lack of recoil from the punch. He lets out a loud sigh. "We Ukakus are just too brittle compared to other ghouls. And it's because of that we have to stick together. When will you learn that?" He reaches out to Ayato, but he swats his hand away.

"I don't have a reason to, that's why."

"And when you do, it'll be too late."

"Guess we'll just have to find out then."

Tatara shows himself not long after. "Is she ready to move out yet?"

"Just about," Eto says in a normal volume next to Omou's ear, startling him. "The other base should be stationed at the 26th ward, correct? That should put us closer to Kaneki...and perhaps father.."

"It's very likely that he's probably with Reiya-san now...and Amaya-san."

"Then, our next objective should be clear - to locate dear Reiya-chan. What we'll do from there, however, is up to you, Omou-chan. Just nothing too crazy~"

"You should know what it is that I want to do. To bring down Virus."

"As you wish. We'll form a temporary truce with her group, but only until he's dead. Just be sure you're ready to take responsibility for those who will surely die when it comes time to face him."

"If Reiya-san's there, no one should perish. If anything, I should be the only-"

**Slap**

"And what have I told you about that kind of thinking?"

"That you would keep me from that type of thinking for as long as you're able? And to live for your sake? Yeah, I kn-"

**Splat**

His head becomes submerged into the ground, with the others staring, mortified. She sits on his back. "As of now, we're still moving on foot, so be cautious...particularly of the two investigators we saw before."

Noro pulls Omou from the ground and props him on his shoulder. Ayato plucks him in the forehead. "Hmph, you're a real dumbass, you know that?" He carries on past Noro.

Eto walks up behind Noro, whispering into Omou's ear. "Let's go again soon~"

His face heats up as she pecks him on the cheek.

At the CCG headquarters, Amon receives his new quinque.

"Huh? Why is the suitcase white?"

"Someone donated their line of quinques to the company. It's of a stronger material than our current line of quinques. Just try her out for a spin, you'll be surprised. Arima's already received an upgrade to his quinques. You'll be shredding through ghouls like butter!"

"I see. Thank you!"

As he leaves the lab, he finds Arima, waiting by the door.

"It looks like you've acquired it too."

"...So, when do we strike?"

"Soon." As Arima takes his leave, a hopeful Amon stares at his fist. "Until then, prepare yourselves, for our counter-attack!"

* * *

Sunday .. Who saw that one coming? Not me!

Haven't had a dialogue-heavy chapter in a while, so what better way to drop one, amirite? Though, it could be that they're all like that and I'm losing touch

One thing that's different about this chapter, is that it's **censo-**I mean, uhh...**edited ** As of right now, I don't have any immediate plans for an un-edited versions, due to my severe fear of what's considered too _much_ as far as...ecchi stuff goes . I may or may not make a standalone side thingy in the future, who knows...

For those of you who made it this far I really do appreciate all the feedback! We'll see how it all ends...eventually :D

E3 LET'S GO


	19. Petal 18 - Extra

**Summer Daze**

At last, summer has reached the shores of Japan! To accompany the joyous occasion, Reiya and friends visit the shores of Okinawa to receive some much needed R&amp;R.

Reiya: "Woo hoo! We're finally here!"

Amaya: "I'm surprised you can be so calm about this, Reiya-chan..."

Touka: "Where the hell is this exactly?"

Yoshimura: "The 3rd Ward, it seems."

Yomo: "The 3rd Ward..."

"Wait, why are you all referring to yourselves in third-person?" Kaneki asked everyone. They looked at each other, surprised by their unusual speech.

"Whoops, why did I do that..." Reiya laughs lightheartedly, rubbing the back of her head.

"More importantly, why did we end up here of all places?!" Amaya said with a worrying tone.

A strong gust of wind pushes against each of their backs, pulling them closer toward the shoreline.

"Eh, who cares? Might as well enjoy ourselves! Look, we're even all dressed up for it!" Reiya spins around in her white two-piece swimsuit.

"Huh?! Why the hell are we in our swimsuits?!" Touka growled, looking down at her own dark purple swimsuit.

"Hmph. You're just now worrying about that? Baka nee-san." Said a familiar voice, colliding with her shoulder roughly as the boy, dressed in blue and black swim trunks, approaches the water.

"A-Ayato?!" Touka said, filled with sho- ""Agghh, who the hell's this guy that keeps calling our names and sayin' what we're doin'?"

"It's probably just you, Touka-chan." Yoshimura said, sweating nervously.

"I know you all can hear this gu-yaaa!" Ayato thrusts her along. Noro and Tatara follow behind; Tatara displayed a slightly muscular frame, supplemented by white and red swim trunks, while Noro wore a painfully bright yellow cloak. Yoshimura's eyeballs popped straight out of his head. Yomo promptly grabs them and places them back in his head. Noro turns toward them, with a big disturbing grin. When he gives them a thumbs up, Yoshimura's eyeballs pop back out. "God damn it..." Yomo said, shaking his head.

Uta walks by them, bearing mostly plain black swim trunks, if not for the occasional swirls of white throughout. "Since we're here, we might as well enjoy ourselves. While it lasts, that is."

"I agree." Amon said walking up next to Reiya, wearing plain as day blue trunks. "For some reason, as much as I want to, I can't bear any hatred towards any of you. Right now, I just want to enjoy this day. If you'll excuse me." As he walks off, Akira runs up behind him with a dark red striped two-piece.

"So cute..." Amaya said softly, to Akira's knowledge. She looks back and smiles at her and Reiya. "Thanks! You two don't look half bad yourselves." She catches up to Amon, wrapping her arms around his.

Perhaps the only two wearing shirts were Arima and Omou, with Arima sporting a white shirt and light blue trunks while Omou wore a grey shirt and dark blue trunks. Sparks flew from their eyes whenever they made contact with each other. Juuzou runs in between the both of them. "Yahooo!"

Sandwiched between Reiya and Amaya came Eto, wearing a pale green cover, as she nests her arms around both their necks. "What are you two standing around for? The day will have passed you by before you get to squeeze some fun out of this joyous occasion." The girls blush, looking in opposite directions as she pushes them along.

Finally, Nishiki stares at everyone in his orange trunks. "What the hell are we doing here!"

While most of the guys, save for Uta, Yomo, Ayato and Noro, either rested under an umbrella or laid on top of a sun chair while the girls all went into the ocean. Reiya and Amaya were knee-deep, as was Eto as she turned toward Omou, slowly backing further into the ocean. Slowly, she removes her cover to reveal a shining green two-piece swimsuit.

_"Why haven't I tapped that three times already..."_ Omou said- "I DID NOT!" ...He yelled with a piercing rage.

Kaneki walks into the water with his black and white-checkered trunks, with Reiya pulling him along. "Come on! The water won't bite!"

He smiles at her as he pats her on the head. The shine of his white-hair was ever present. I wonder if I should've turned it black for the occasion...

Touka splashes at Uta and Yomo and Ayato repays her with a beach ball to the face. "Why you little-"

Behind her comes a wave crashing onto her, submerging her into the ocean. "My, how harsh, Yomo-kun." Yomo looks at Uta, whose face begins to shrink. _"Cra-"_

Yomo launches him into the ocean. He splashes furiously until he hears a soft yell next to him. It was Amaya, drifting by him on a white see-through inner tube. "Oh, sorry."

She smiles at him, murdering him with a thousand cuts. She floats by a standing Noro, who didn't even bother to remove his cover. Her heart sank as he slowly turned towards her. He flashes a thumb-ups at her with the same menacing grin as before. She wallows in fear and runs her back into Omou.

"O-Omou-k-kun!"

"There's no need to be afraid of him. He's completely harmless...most of the time." On the back of his mind came the time when Noro decapitated a man. "...Actually, just keep doing what you've been doing." He said, now sweating bullets. He rushes out of the water, screaming like a girl. Amaya sits still, blushing. Noro, noticing her reddened face, lifts her up, inner tube and all, and launches her into the sky. Omou lays out the sun-chair and lays onto it. Relaxing until just a moment ago, Tatara gets up and walks away.

"Leaving already? Lighten up."

"Was just about to. I don't need _you_ to tell me that." His feet touch the water and he looks up into the sky to feel the cool breeze, wearing a solemn glimmer in his eyes. _"I wonder...when will my time run out?" _He looks over at a smiling Eto, as she waves him over. _"How long can I continue to stay by her side?"_

"I don't recall the boss lady being very fond of being kept waiting."

"Shut up! Impudent brat..." He lets out a quick, relieved laugh. _"I guess I do have you to thank for that, after all. For infecting her with a human heart." _He submerges himself deeper as he reaches closer to Eto. Just as he gets within a few inches, Noro speeds out like a shark and tackles him.

Omou's otherwise bored expression turned into a pit of laughter. "AHAHA! DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR-" He hears someone screaming above him. He looks up to see Amaya falling towards him. "...face."

**Crash!** The sun chair under him snapped into two, though that was nothing compared to the crater they created in the sand. Omou grunts in pain, struggling to breathe. Perhaps Amaya's petite body impaling against him didn't help.

"Mmh~"

"...Are you o-" His cheeks begin to redden at the sight of her dark teal hair and bright eyes. "Why is your hair the way it used to be?"

She giggles briefly. "You're just now noticing that?...I don't know. Reiya-chan's is still white. Also...It's very unsettling, that we're able to be here like this, in a Ward nested within CCG's territory without everyone fighting each other. That...I'm even able to be with you like this. Almost as if I were in a dream."

"Amaya-chan..."

"Would it be okay? If I stayed like this?"

"It's not like I can move until you do anyway...I don't mind, though."

"Mm, okay!" She rubs her face against his shirt and a splash of blood emerges from the crater, though not a soul could see. Or cared.

"Tries beans! i cant belive i did!" Tsukiyama shouted, proclaiming his frustration for the gang to see.

"Ahaha, I'm sorry, could you repe-" Before Kaneki could finish, Reiya tugs Kaneki along.

It's okay Tsukiyama, you'll show 'em next time!

"That voce," Tsukiyama ponders. _"Are yu saiyng that ill have my combak?"_

Yeahhh, sure! You'll show 'em next time!"

Tsukiyama's heart implodes in excitement, as he stares into the sand with a river of tears flowing down his **ravaged** cheeks.

"I wonder, if that's why I wasn't killed by that girl on that day. Could that voice (God) have preferred me over Tsukiyama-san?!" Suddenly, Shinohara pushes him along. "Go. Have fun."

"Shinohara-san..." He pushes him to the shoreline before vanishing from his sight. He smiles into the sky and heads into the water. Touka and Reiya are being juggled in the air by Yomo as Kaneki claps in amusement. Eto's laughing at the side at Tatara drowning Noro. Uta's laying on a surfboard, while Amon and Akira splash at each other. Arima sat on the sun chair, reading a newspaper.

Juuzou stood between it all, curious of where he stands. A stray ball suddenly comes flying into his hands. "Hey! Over here!" Reiya yelled in midair. She catches the ball he throws at her, if only for a second as it slips from her hands as she fell into the water. The ball falls into Amon's hands. "What the..."

"Volleyball time!" Yoshimura shouted, sitting on the sun chair. Everyone rushes out of the water and over to the net behind the row of chairs. Everyone picked between two teams; Aogiri and CCG. Reiya, Akira, Juuzou, Touka, Noro, Ayato, and Tatara made up team Aogiri while Eto, Amon, Uta, Yomo, Tsukiyama, and Kaneki made up team CCG.

Amon looks surprised by the pairings. "W-Why're you on that side?"

"Eh, too late to worry about it now!" Akira replied.

"Tch, I would be teamed up with my whiny bitch-ass baka nee-chan..."

"Hahh?! You got a problem with that?!" Touka growled.

"Calm down you two, we've gotta work together now so deal with it." Reiya said, splitting the two up physically.

Tatara analyzes the two teams. "It would seem that we hold the upper-hand." Noro nods, agreeing.

"How do you play volleyball again?" Juuzou asked. Tatara facepalms in disbelief.

"All you have to do is bounce the ball over on their side. If they can't return it and it hits the sand, we score!" Reiya explains to Juuzou.

"Oooh, that sounds like fun!"

Arima counts the players on each side. "It would seem we're down a player. Arima-san!"

"Yes?"

"What do you mean yes? Come join us!"

He lets out a light sigh and walks over to his side. Tatara grunts.

"It sounds like they're about to start soon." Amaya said softly, still resting atop Omou.

"Y-Yeah, we should hurry."

"...Mhm." She raises from him, revealing a slight cleavage behind her pink cover, causing him to pause completely. Amaya rushes out of the crater towards the two groups. "Don't forget about me!"

"Whaaat?! You're still wearing that?!" Reiya walks over to her and pulls it off of her, revealing a cutesy sky blue one-piece.

Everyone stares at her, surprised, dazed, and bewildered at the sight before them.

"Damn..." Touka said aloud.

Amon looks away nervously. Noro gives a thumbs-up. Tsukiyama slices his head off. Juuzou stares at her, with an unfamiliar red permeating through his cheeks.

Eto grins. "Well now."

"Tch, to think you were hiding all of this!" Reiya assures her. "You need to be more confident in yourself!"

Omou raises his head from the crater and lays eyes upon Amaya. His eyes widen, and his loose mouth was suspended at her beauty. If no one else, it would be his words that would provoke a response from her. "Beautiful." She looked back at him, at one moment nervous, in the next, swallowing her fear and bowing in front of him, uncovering her blocking arms to provide him a full view.

He looked away, blushing red. "I-It looks good on you."

She runs over to him and grabs his hand. "We're waiting for you!" She pulls him out of the crater and drags him over.

**Team CCG**: Reiya, Akira, Juuzou, Touka, Noro, Ayato, Tatara, and Omou

**Team Aogiri**: Eto, Amon, Uta, Yomo, Tsukiyama, Kaneki, Arima, and Amaya

"Wait a sec, don't we have too many peop-" Nishiki noted before Yoshimura fires off. "First side to score 5 points wins. Begin!" He bounces the ball into the air. "#%$ ! Eh...What the &amp;#%!" A rain cloud appears over Nishiki's head as he cries in shame.

"It's okay Nishiki! You can just be our cheerleader! Hah!" Touka sticks out her tongue at him mockingly. His eyes were pure white in rage.

The ball hovers over the net and Arima gets his fingers on it first. Smack! Omou meets Arima on the other side, his hand tightly latched onto the ball, hitting it in a diagonal angle, and slipping by Arima's hand. "When did he-"

"I got it!" Amon yells, diving for the ball and thus keeping it alive. Amaya bounces it to Yomo, waiting in the back. Yomo jumps.

"Ngh, watch out!" Akira yelled.

"Hauuughhh!" Slam! The ball comes speeding like a torpedo by Noro, to his surprise.

"0-1, Aogiri's advantage!" Yoshimura relays.

"You # $%$# dumb#%$! Do you even know how to-" Nishiki stops himself when he sees Omou's eyes, as if death himself.

"The hell..."

"Tch, like I'd hold my tongue for this bastard."

Touka chuckles. "Obviously..."

"You wanna say that again to my face?!" They both grit their teeth at each other, only to be yanked by the hair by Omou and Reiya. Touka calms herself down. "Thanks Reiya-san."

Ayato, continues to whine and squirm as Omou walks over to Noro. "Did you hear Reiya explaining how to play?" He tilts his head down, affirming otherwise. "Well, you're big and strong, so your role is pretty simple. All you have to do is just-" Snap! He cracks Ayato's neck. "Understand?" Noro nods approvingly. "Now let's go take it back."

Akira waves her hand. "Let me start it."

He throws the ball to her. She tosses it up and whips it onto the other side. Uta blocks it from the ground with his enlarged hands. Yoshimura blows a whistle. "No cheating, Uta-san!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

As the rest of the team bounces the ball around, Amaya notices Eto's gaze. "You like Omou-kun, don't you?"

She looks away, confirming her curiosity. "I already know that he belongs to yo-"

"I don't mind what you're doing. Just as long as you understand that simple fact."

"...Mm, I know." She replied while avoiding her eyes.

"Go get 'em, Kaneki-kun!" Nishiki yelled, as Kaneki launches the ball to Amon.

"What the meow?! Wait...what?"

"Haughhhhhh!" At the net, he slams the ball, and is met by Tatara.

"Hmph." Tatara loosens his grip and allows the ball to slide past him, landing onto Omou's hands behind him. "Touka-san!"

She hits the ball at a blazing speed, surprising the opposing side as it smacks the ground.

"1-1 all!"

Amon huffs and puffs as he watches Tatara and Omou look each other in the eye and exchange a fist bump at Omou's request, and to his surprise. "Don't look so surprised. I still despise your existence. But right now, at least, we are all useful to each other."

"Good to know." Omou smiles.

Amaya throws the ball to Eto, who's already in mid-air, smashing the ball through Reiya's diving defense. "Damn it!"

"2-1 Aogiri's advantage!"

Eto sticks out her tongue.

"Why that little-" Touka scoffs.

"There you go losing your damn head aga-"

**Smack**

Touka slams the ball into his face and it bounces to Akira. "Ha!" Then over to Omou. "Noro!" He bounces it to Noro, who jumps into the air and pulverizes the ball.

"ive got et-" Tsukiyama declared, who's hand gets blown off by the ball's impact. Kaneki dives onto the ground and keeps the ball alive. Amaya launches it toward Arima and it shoots to the other side instantly. Juuzou gets into position and blocks the ball towards Omou again. This time, he launches it to Tatara, waiting in mid-air. "Haugh!" He punches it to Eto, bouncing from her to Kaneki, who tips it to Amon. "Haughhhh!" He pierces the ball at a blinking speed. It smashes into Omou's hands. "Ngh, meow! Wait...what the hell?!" It flies toward Juuzou again. This time, he jumps into the air and proceeds to pelt it to the other side. He completely whiffs it. Everyone's jaws drop.

Ayato scratches his confused head. "What the fu-"

"Oho!" He tips it with his other hand, to everyone's shock. Everyone dives for the ball, to no avail as it had reached the ground soon after they dove.

"Go Juuzou-kun! Woo hoo!" Cheered Akira and Reiya.

"Did I do good?" He asked.

"You really saved us, Juuzou-kun. Nice one." Omou thanks him. They exchange a high-five. _"I wonder if __**he'll**__ make us fight each other."_ Omou pondered to hims- "No I didn't!"

"2-2 all! Last point decides it!"

"It's already in the air!" Ayato yelled.

Eto hits it once more. Ayato was in position this time around, and blocks it, despite the ensuing recoil. "Damn, how does she hit it so hard?"

Touka lets out a hard chuckle. "Tch, that's like asking how you're so useless. We'll never know the answer to that either..."

"Did you not just see me save our meow. AND WHY THE MEOW CAN'T I TALK NORMALLY!"

Reiya laughs hysterically. "Normally?! You call that talking normally?!"

"Good job Ayato-kun." Omou assured Ayato. He takes a deep breath and tips the ball upward before immediately ducking downward. There lied Juuzou, pouncing the ball over. Eto catches it, passing it over to Amon. At the net, he punches the ball, but meets opposition in Noro. Amon grunts and pushes, until finally he heard a voice. "Oshiete, Oshiete, yo sono shikumi w-"

"GAUGHH!" Amon's eyes and ears explode in a burst of blood, and the ball slips by him.

Tsukiyama bounces it off to Amaya. "E-Eh?"

Reiya yelled out to her. "Jump!" That she did, and was met with Omou at the net. As he reaches his hand up, he notices her stare. "Sorry." She tips it over his hand, falling off his head onto the ground. Yoshimura whistles.

"Game! Aogiri wins!"

A combination of cheering and yelling could be heard from both sides, to Amaya's joy and at Omou's expense. As the winning side congratulation Amaya on her unlikely scoring, Touka and Ayato bite off Omou's ear. Tatara walks over to Omou and employs a colorful cast of remarks toward him. "You're a worthless pathetic piece of garbage who's sole purpose in life is to die a meaningless, empty, painful, impactless death like the shriveling piece of trash you are. Grovel in pain and sadness and hope to be wiped from your despicable existence. I hope you-" Tatara goes on and on as Noro throws him onto his shoulder and walks off.

The two continued staring at each other. Finally, Amaya, averts her gaze. "Ahem...Good game." She reaches out her hand under the net. He replies at last, reciprocating their hand-shake. "Y-Yeah, good game!"

Eto slaps Amaya on the back. "Nicely done!"

"Oh, thanks."

"And you. Shouldn't you be groveling at her feet right about now?"

"The hell are you talking about?"

"She won over you, therefore you're at her command for the rest of the time we're here."

"Since when did we decide on that?!"

"I did, of course! Now go on, you're on the clock!" She nudges Amaya forward. "Have fun~"

Omou sighs in displeasure. "That woman...Don't worry about her, she's just-"

She pokes out her lips and looks into his eyes. "I do have a request for you, though. It's just one...but...we don't have to if you don't want to."

"What exactly do you want?"

"I don't want to say it here. Later..."

"Okay, that's fine."

Amaya walks off with the rest of the winners, soon joined by the losers.

Kaneki runs over to Omou. "Good game. You were incredible up until the last few seconds."

"I'm tempted to just write that off as an insult..."

"Oh? Then you really are a sore loser. Bye."

"Wait, get back here!" Reiya tackles Omou onto the ground. Now pinned to the ground, he begins barking at Reiya. "Will you get the hell off me already?!"

"No one can blame you for how you lost that, Omou-kun. You did a great job up until losing your head over little Amaya-chan."

"Shut up...And stop acting like you haven't noticed yet."

"Eh? What do you me-"

"Her hair! Don't tell me you didn't notice! And yet, your hair is still the same! And Kaneki's!"

"Oh, that. Well, isn't that because we're kind the protagonists?"

"I give up. This one can no longer be saved..." He says with his final breath, before plowing his head into the sand.

"Well fine, be that way!"

Evening crashes upon the beach and everyone is gathered under the rooftop of a beach house, enjoying a glass of water, can of soda, or, for the ghouls, a refreshing cup of coffee.

"Ahaha, who knew you could handle a ball, Arima-san."

"Excuse me?" He asked, disturbed.

Amon face grows depressed. "Arima, you're killing me..."

"Look who's talking?" Akira jabs at Amon. "Good to see you're just as bad at making jokes as you are at hearing them."

"But that wasn't a joke!"

Everyone shares a light laugh at Amon's expense.

Nishiki wears a look of disappointment. "Man, this was fun and all, but I wished my girl could've been here."

"Then you should've just had fun." Akira commented. "Have enough fun for the both of you, instead of just sulking all day on the sidelines."

"Pfft, yeah yeah. Don't need someone from CCG tellin' me that."

"You'd prefer not to, but you're hearing it anyway, ghoul." Arima added.

"Look at you, acting so civil. Deep down, you want to kill all of us ghouls right here, don't you?"

"The time will come when I will eliminate you all. That time isn't today, however. As everyone else has done, I am expecting the rules of our being here in this beach." Arima extends his hand. "Shall we continue on with this temporary truce?"

After a slight hesitation, he shakes Arima's hand. "Of course."

"Hm hm, isn't it exciting, Kaneki-kun? To see humans and ghouls coming together like this for our sakes?"

"...I suppose so."

"Does it give you a sense of hope? Confidence?" Kaneki remained silent.

"I would certainly hope no-"

"Eto, same goes for you. Keep it down." Yoshimura says harshly.

"Of course, father~"

"Eto...did you just call me-"

"I meant him." She points at Omou, sitting across from her. Yoshimura runs off in shame. Omou gets up and leaves as well, unable to bear the embarrassment of her comment. "Aww, not you too?"

"I just need to be alone for a moment."

Amaya pulls his arm. "Wait, Omou-kun."

"...Fine."

"T-Thanks." The two walk off, leaving everyone else to their business.

"Reiya-chan, do you happen to know what Amaya wants with Omou-kun?"

She puts on a cheesy grin, at once scaring Kaneki. "Do you really wanna know?"

He swallows for a second before answering, "Yes." Instantly, she reaches across the table and kisses him, shocking everyone except for Eto."

"She doesn't honestly expect to compete with Eto, does she?" Said Tatara.

"She already knows that. I'm merely giving her the chance to make peace knowing that. It'd be too painful for Omou-chan if he ends up killing her with loose ends like that laying around."

Reiya looks at Eto with a worried expression. "You really are scary sometimes..."

"Aren't I all the time?!" Everyone continues drinking as usual. Eto sighs in disappointment.

"There's one thing I have to ask," Akira ponders. "If Reiya-san drinks coffee like the rest of the ghouls, does that mean that she's unable to eat normal food? Isn't she technically a ghoul in that sense?"

Reiya shakes her head in confusion. "Beats me. You're better off asking him.

"You don't mean..."

Reiya nods her head and points into the sky. "Mhm..."

"Hah?! Is that why I can't talk for meow?!" Ayato complains.

"iis that y i cant talk normlly?!" Tsukiyama whines.

"And why my girl couldn't be with me?!" Nishiki...complains.

"And why we can't just kill each other or bear any hatred?" Amon affirms.

"Sounds like who's ever pulling the string's a real loser." Kaneki concludes.

"Agreed." Everyone says in unison.

"Aha, I guess all we can do is enjoy the ride while it lasts. Who knows which of us will end up like poor Tsukiyama-kun!"

"sjndsfkja!"

"Okay, now you're not making any sense anymore..." An annoyed Uta said.

By the ocean shore, Amaya and Omou look upon one another.

"Alright, spill it."

She scratches her arm, hesitating to give an answer. She thinks at first of Eto's words earlier in the day, before thinking about how Omou treated her throughout the day. She grips her hands and they begin to shake.

"Amaya-chan?"

_"Maybe...if..."_

"...How do you feel about Eto-san? Or maybe a better question would be, what is she to yo-"

"I love her."

At once his response stabs away at her internally. Unable to muster any words, she walks back toward the beach house.

"That's all I wanted to ask." He grabs her hand. She looks back at him and notices his pained face.

"What would you have said...if I hadn't said that?"

"That I love you." Her response noticeably stunned him. She takes advantage of his dazed state and kisses him, bringing him back to his senses.

"I'm sorry for being such a terrible sister. I was never able to look at you as just a brother. Curse yourself, for being so kind. And for being there for me whenever I felt alone. I started depending on you instead of father or Rei-chan for things. Even when father was killed, it didn't pain me nearly as much as when you left. As much as Rei-chan helped to fill the void, she could never hope to replace you. I started hating myself, and my own powerlessness. If I were stronger, you would've taken me along...and Rei-chan wouldn't have had to take care of me that whole time."

"How do you think I felt having to-"

Yoshimura calls for Omou and Amaya.

"Hurry along you two, it seems it's about time for us all to part ways."

"Okay, we'll be right over!"

Yoshimura heads back as Amaya concludes her point. "I know I can't possibly beat Eto now. If I had done things differently, I'm sure I could've won a permanent place in your heart."

"You already-"

"Not one that's shared with Rei-chan." Amaya heads back to the beach house, leaving Omou in pieces.

Everyone exchanges handshakes and the occasional hug. Finally, everyone gets consumed by a dark capsule and floats into the sky. Where they would end up, only he would know.

* * *

Yikes, where do I even start

Story - Sui Ushida

A few words from a certain song - Ling Tosite Sigure

Everything else - Not me

So basically, this is...a bit of a goofball chapter. You could just write this off as filler and not even bother with this clown

There are plenty of characters in the TG universe that I haven't necessarily focused on too much, so this chapter was my way of giving them some attention. Admittedly, I know there's still a couple (probably more) that still didn't get any adequate time, but ya know what?  
You gotta make lemonade out of limes. Or lemons

Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed this mostly light-hearted ball of Tokyo Ghoul. Now back to the main story .

ps. Terribly sorry for Tsukiyama. Seriously, what have I done to the poor guy? I made him out to be the culmination of all my glorious typos and mis-edits and now he just looks like one giant insult waiting to happen. But ya know what, I'm just gonna roll with it


	20. Petal 19

**A Splintered Heart**

Reiya slams her fist. "The hell do you mean we have to leave now?!"

Yoshimura finishes sipping his coffee before humoring her with a response. "The only reason we stayed here was to retrieve you and Kaneki-san. We can hardly afford to stay any longer than we have now. Our food supply has run scarce. We'll barely have enough to make the trip back."

With her eyes facing the floor for a moment, she looks up at Yoshimura with a worried face. "...Damn it, I completely forgot about that. I'm sorry you guys had to look for us for so long."

"No need. We're glad that you two are unharmed...well, mostly. Now then, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

Reiya turns her back against everyone, accompanying her folded arms and embarrassed expression. "There's no point now...We won't be here long enough for it to matter. We probably won't have to worry about Virus or other shinkaku's if we just left. I've already found what I need."

"Reiya-chan..." Amaya's tone gave a hint of guilt.

"Please tell us anyway." Kaneki firmly requested.

"Eh?"

"If it has to do with you and Amaya-chan, I want to know." After a moment of biting her lip and puncturing her palms with shaky fingers, she concedes.

"Aghh, fine! This is only what I've gathered from my own experiences and what I've seen from Amaya-chan up to this point. ...For people like me and her, I gave us the name shinkaku, but why is that? We technically couldn't be categorized as ghouls because our heart, being the equivalent of what you'd call a kakuhou, doesn't generate RC cells, but instead WC cells. RC cells don't seem to have any effect on WC cells, which is why attacks on shinkakus have been met with no success. One thing that still makes us similar to ghouls, though, is our need for human flesh. But unlike you, our metabolism is a lot slower, so it takes longer for us to become hungry. We regenerate just as slowly because of that. Furthermore, we can still eat human food, but due to their content, it comes down like water, and has no effect on our hunger."

"That doesn't explain how you turned into that white tiger before." Touka wondered.

"Actually it does," Said Kaneki. "If a ghoul brings out their kagune from where our kakuhou is, she's doing the same. Her cells run throughout her body, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to be able to take an entirely different form like that."

"Does that mean she'd be able to take other forms too?"

"I think that would depend on the nature of my heart. I can't say for sure though."

"Reiya-san, was your intention to merely explain to us the functionality of a shinkaku, or is there a deeper meaning?" Yoshimura asks.

Reiya raises from the floor. "There is. How do you defeat a shinkaku? The first way is pretty obvious. While a shinkaku's cells make it impervious to damage from ghouls, they can still be hurt normally by another shinkaku. This next method is only a theory, so I have no idea how well this would actually work, but Amaya could probably attest to this. The strength of our WC cells stem from the root of our heart. It acts as the fortress of our body, and what keeps us seemingly invincible. But what would happen if certain feelings or emotions caused our heart to go awry?"

"You think that's the chink in the armor?" Yomo suggests.

"I do."

"You're probably right," Amaya adds. "That night, when you told me how disappointed you were, and how weak I had become, it felt like everything had frozen. My body wouldn't move...even though I could see you coming, I couldn't react to your attack that time, and I couldn't regenerate at all. Could it be that in exchange for the power we have, our hearts are more susceptible to feelings than ghouls and humans?"

"That could be the case." Reiya concludes. She and Amaya grew silent, until Touka smacks them both in the head. "Why are you so upset? This is great to know! It gives us ghouls a fighting chance against you guys."

Yoshimura takes another sip from his cup. "My concern is your reasoning for telling us this information. Do you suspect that there are more of you than you surmise?"

"We've already met one, his name is Juuzou Suzuya. I don't know who else is one, but we can't ignore the possibility that more of us are walking around, especially if we have Amaya-chan with us now."

"I see. In any case, we should be heading back soon. Everyone be ready to leave in the next hour."

Everyone nods their head. As everyone heads for the door, they stop and turn back to the sound of a mild thud. Amaya jumped towards Reiya and hugs her, bringing tears to her eyes.

"Tch, cut it out, you're gonna make me jealous." Touka scoffed, leaving behind a smile. 

Moments later, Kaneki, Amaya, and Reiya remain in the room, having not moved an inch since the conversation from earlier. Finally, Amaya gets onto her feet, chuckling softly. "Ehehe, what am I still doing here? I'll leave you two to be alone. Sorry for the intrusion!"

"Hey wai-" Before Reiya could reel her back, she slams the door behind her. On the other side, she stood, biting her lip as thoughts of Omou loomed across her mind. _"Must be nice...Not like I can complain. I've been wasting all this time trying to force you to my side, when I probably could've won you fair and square. Live and learn..." _Tears begin to fall to the floor. "Right, Rei-chan?" She hears footsteps down the hall.

"Amaya-san?"

She looks away to wipe her tears. "You're...Yomo-kun, right?"

He nods briefly. "Would you wish to join me for some coffee?" She began to quake nervously, fiddling with her fingers.

"It's okay, Yoshimura-san will be joining us."

"Okay." She said with a faint smile. "I'd love to!" 

~~~

Silence surrounded the room in which Kaneki and Reiya sat. In the same instant Reiya lets out a nervous sigh, words had begun to pierce through the mute air. "How've you been the last few days?"

"Who knows? I guess you could say I feel great now that we have Amaya-chan back, but then there's Omou-kun, and I'm worried about him."

"Did something happen to him?"

"Not him, but someone else. She got pretty beat up from one of the guys from CCG. He looked pretty upset about it too, so I figured they're probably lovers."

"Or he's just very loyal to her."

"That too, but Omou's more likely to respond to his emotions than with something akin to loyalty. It's what makes him feel human. He's probably more of one than I am these days."

"I know the feeling...eh?"

On all fours, Reiya crawls over to him, and their faces were soon an inch apart.

"You still look pretty human to me."

"As do you."

"I wonder if your flesh would say otherwise..."

"Getting hungry already?"

"I am, but not for what you think it is."

"If it's food," Kaneki takes off his shirt. "Then take as much as you-"

She catches him, their lips latched together. "You should already know by now!" She pecks him briefly, and before long he begins to reciprocate. Reiya celebrates with a mild moan. She interrupts him, moving her head down to his chest and coiling her arms around his back.

"Reiya-chan?"

"Am I forcing myself onto you too much?"

She grips his shirt. "Because if I am, I can st-"

"I love you."

Her eyes blossomed and they immediately meet back with his. "You and I are no strangers to pain, yet you don't let yourself become consumed by it. Even when Amaya-san was heading toward the wrong direction, you never let yourself sink into despair. Always maintaining a certain energy about you. An infectious energy that tries to illuminate everything around you. I couldn't possibly escape something so beautiful."

She pecks him once more on the lips. "You could say that again~"

~~~

Yomo and Amaya walk into the neighboring room as Yoshimura raises from the chair.

"Amaya-san. Welcome."

"Where is Touka-san and Hinami-san?"

"They'll be back momentarily. Come, sit. I'll fix you some coffee."

"Thank you." Amaya and Yomo sit down on the kitchen table and Yoshimura gets started preparing the coffee. There was no escaping the elephant in the room, the painfully evident sound through the walls. Amaya's cheeks grew a dark red as time passed.

"Those crazy kids..." Yoshimura grunted. "Are they disturbing you, Amaya-san?"

"...I want to be loved...like that, too."

"Ahem." Yomo clears his throat.

"That would require you to be loved by someone. To my knowledge, you hold feelings toward someone?"

"Heh, I suppose Reiya-chan's told you about that...It's just a petty crush. He's already in love with someone else."

"Now now, don't start betraying your heart. There's nothing wrong with admitting to have loved someone, regardless of what became of it. However, it's not healthy to dwell on such empty feelings and allowing it to ferment into negativity. You have to be able to move on, for his sake and especially yours. If this boy knows you, I'm sure he wouldn't want you locking yourself up because of him."

"What if that person...gave you a reason to live for all this time?"

"Then make sure your feelings reach him. Make sure he at least knows how he makes you feel. Who knows what could come from it if you speak from your heart."

"Make sure he knows...okay." She bows before Yoshimura.

"Thank you!"

"No need. Good to have you among us."

He finishes brewing the coffee and serves it up to Amaya and Yomo.

"Oh, and it wasn't Reiya-san that told me. It was Kaneki-san."

Amaya spits out her coffee in Yomo's face. "What?!"

An hour passes by, and everyone meets outside near the large white van. "I trust you all are ready to depart?" Yoshimura asks firmly. Each individual nodded equally resolved.

"Alright, I'll ride in front with Yoshimura-san. The rest of you get in the back."

"Rei-chan." Amaya pulls her shirt.

"What is it?" _"She's gone back to calling me that..."_

Nervous to speak for a brief moment, she nonchalantly asks, "So how was it?"

Reiya's face turns red and steam comes from her ears.

"Now you've made me curious!" Kaneki adds.

"Sh-Sh-Shut up! That's none of your business! No one's business!" In amidst her rant she looks at Amaya, gazing brightly at her. She sighs before answering, "Painful mostly, though the fact that it was with him made it feel worth it."

"That's good."

"You'll find someone like that too. Don't give up."

"Yeah, I know!"

Everyone heads into the van and drives off, and thus began their trip back to the 20th Ward. 


	21. Petal 20

**Chasing Reality**

A few dozen miles passed and the van has traversed halfway through the 14th ward. With her eyes peering through the window, Reiya draws out a long sigh. Amaya tugs on her long dark teal sleeves. "Are you okay?"

After a brief look into Amaya's eyes, she turns back toward the window, softly saying, "Yeah, was just thinking about how Omou-kun's doing is all.

Slowly, Amaya repositions herself on the seat.

"Oh...Well, the Aogiri base was overran by the CCG wasn't it? Maybe he and the others left like we did."

"...I wonder if that woman with him is okay..."

After a slight pause, Amaya looks away to hide her pained face. "Hm, I wonder too..."

Among the streets of the 13th ward wondered Omou, Eto, and the rest of those of Aogiri who had stayed behind to assist them.

"How much longer?" Omou said with a noticeable drag in his tone.

"Tch, why don't you just-" Before Ayato could drill into him, Eto interrupts, "Nee, Ayato-kun, how far are we from our destination?"

Ayato stood still for a while as he tried to process the shock of her comment. "Ayato-kun? Nee, how far are we?"

"...Just around this corner...ma'am."

"Did you hear that, Omou-kun?"

"Yeah. I just hope the place hasn't become too much of a mess with no one there to watch over everyone."

"Undoubtedly, some loose screws will have to be tossed aside. It'll probably be for the best."

"Not sure if losing half of our forces is for the best..."

Ayato watched the two interact silently, annoyed.

_"Hmph, the chief always seems to treat this guy differently from the rest of us. It's always __**him**__ she opens up to. Is she even aware of herself right now?" _Ayato thought to himself, staring at the fusion of both their sides, as Eto's arms lie coiled around Omou's. _"Cause it's painfully obvious..."_

Suddenly, Noro blocks off the others. "Noro-kun? What's wrong?" He silently shakes his head.

"Could they have already found us?!" Tatara worried.

"Ngh!" Omou speeds around Noro and catches sight of the Aogiri base.

It was doused in flames.

"Yo, Arima-san. Who exactly did we get the tip about Aogiri's whereabouts from?"

"Do you remember the one who showed himself on television?"

Chills ran down Amon's spine, gasping in shock. "Wh...What? Then why are we sending more men there? We're going to repeat what happened last ti-"

"They've already weighed the risk of him showing up again. Despite the results from the last raid, it did lead to us eventually gaining control over one of their strongholds. And the fact that we've run into the Owl, it's likely that their other stronghold is heavily unguarded, aside from any infantry ghouls. There's a chance that this might be their only remaining stronghold."

"I see. So they wipe out the ghouls there, and render it under our control, and we can essentially wipe out the majority of Aogiri. If "

"That is correct."

Arima pats Amon on the shoulder and leaves his office.

"Arima-san!"

"Yes, Amon-kun?"

"What is _our_ next move?"

"...We eliminate the white-haired-half ghouls that have begun to surface. If that woman's with Kaneki Ken, they're likely to return to the 20th Ward. So that's where we're headed."

Amon salutes him gracefully. "Yes sir!"

"Be prepared for the worst. Worst case scenario, we'll have to face that woman _and_ the masked man."

"That's only if you're wrong."

"Hm, let's hope I'm not."

Past the street that makes up the distance between Omou and the others, he stands upon the pavement leading into the burning building. A grisly sight welcomes him, with dismembered heads laid across the grass, yet not a single body to accompany them. Even more gruesome were the numerous ruptured, flat kakuhous that accompanied the heads.

"What the hell is this? _Was it CCG? Did they find out where we'd be hiding?_...How-"

"Is it so surprising, boy?"

Startled, Omou swiftly turns and sees the suspect among the rooftop of a building nested next to Eto and the others. He wore a ragged white cloak, even more unusually, matching his eyes.

"This is a fate known to all ghouls. No matter what you do to fight it, death is always right at your doorstep."

Eto looks up at the familiar sounding man. At first shocked by the site of the burning building, her teeth grits and her hands ball up. "Virus..."

Immediately, Omou's kakugan shows and his kagune soon follows. Virus pats him on the shoulder, to comfort the hole that appeared within Omou's chest.

"Omou-kun!"

_"When did he-"_

"Now, now, there will be no need for that. Your life had reached its end when our eyes met. It's truly a shame that your father died under these same conditions."

As he lets go of Omou, and he falls to ground, the wings on his back dissipated, and one thought drifted through his mind all the while.

_"He's...the one I've been looking for..." _Cold on the ground Omou laid, struggling to move a muscle.

In the same manner as with Omou, the man reappears between Eto and the others.

"Shit! Boss get ba-" As his kagune began to emerge, Virus slices it clean off, before blowing a hole into his chest. Noro and Tatara block off Eto, and swiftly meet the same fate. With no opposition left, Virus stares down Eto's shocked green eyes. "Are you satisfied now, Eto?"

She said nothing, only struggling to hold back the tears that soon plagued her cheeks. "You've grown soft. Or perhaps you've become more human? Worry not, you will join the others soon enough. But first, there is still one job left for you."

She begins to grip her chest with closed eyes.

"Remember that this is all your fault. I warned you not to become attached to anyone. Because of your weakness, one of your own subordinates, of all people, managed to touch Amaya's heart, and take her from me."

Finally, Eto lets out a smile having caught the sight of Omou, though slowly, raising up a fist to her.

"Omou-kun wasn't a part of Aogiri. He was his own entity. A burning, bright entity that managed to pull even me in. He and I both know what's like to live with a hole in our chest, and the strength that can come from it. I don't regret letting him into my heart."

"Impressive. All the destruction, all the death before you, and yet you can still muster the confidence to say that? Even right down to the very end, you never fail to surprise me."

He props Eto onto his shoulder and walks off. As Omou looks up one last time, the wind blows off the man's hood to reveal his silky white hair. "Virus..." His consciousness soon fades away.

Weeks drift by, and the next day opens with a cloudy sky. Reiya and Amaya had just left the apartment in which Reiya stayed upon arriving in the 20th Ward. Reiya carried a long grin across her face, though Amaya maintained a subtle face that imposed contrary feelings. "Aren't you scared, Rei-chan?"

"Of what?"

"Virus told you, didn't he? What the WC cells do to your body? It reacts differently to humans..."

"Oh, that. To tell you the truth, I've been avoiding thinking about it. You and Omou-kun kept me focused and away from negative thoughts like death. After all this time though, I think I've come to accept the fact that I will die. As long as I accomplish everything I've set out to do, I'm okay with that. But until then, there's still some loose ends that need to be tied. More than that, I want the three of us, together, one last time."

"Rei-chan..." She coils her arms around Reiya's and rubs her cheeks against her shoulder. "I look forward to it then!"

"Me too." They both smile brightly at each other.

Moments after, they approach Anteiku, and what accompanied made Reiya pause for a moment.

"Rei-cha-" Dragged by the hand, Amaya and Reiya rush into the cafe. What awaited was two familiar looking men at the bar, with Yoshimura on the other side, barely maintaining a peaceful vibe.

"Ahh, Reiya-san, Amaya-san. Could you please head to the back and grab our special coffee cu-"

Arima raises from his stool. "No need." In one moment, he grabs his suitcase, and in the next, he reappears directly between Amaya and Reiya, before smacking them both swiftly with his briefcase. "It's time we settled this time."

"Aah, definitely. Come on out, Kaneki Ken! Unless you wish to see your friends die her-" Touka emerges from the room in the back and lunges for Amon. "Hmph."

**Slice**

Touka's arm flies off her body, followed by her leg immediately after. "Shit!"

"Touka-chan!" As Reiya tries to get up from the ground, Arima points his Ixa at her. "Worry about yourself."

He ducks to barely dodge an oncoming white fireball from Amaya. He then draws his Narukami to block Reiya's strike. "The same could be said for you."

"Interesting." He noted on the swift change in Reiya's appearance, already taking the form of the sentient white tiger from their last encounter.

In Anteiku, Kaneki finally emerges from the room.

"There you are. It's time we settle this, Eyepatch."

Kaneki bends his index finger, shouldering a mournful face. "I'm sorry, Reiya-chan. I was barely able to hold back because of you. But right now, it just can't be helped."

**"This time, I will defeat you."**


	22. Petal 21

**To Wither or To Shine**

The sight and smell of blazing flames and mildly decomposed corpses had long since passed the noses of Omou and everyone else whose fates aligned with his.

_**"Hey hey hey!"**_

Omou squirmed to the sound of the pulsating voice in his head.

**_"You know what has to happen next, don't you? There's no more time left! What reason is there to hold back any longer?"_**

He clenches his fists while releasing a pained grunt.

**_"Your future no longer matters anymore. It ended the moment you lost to that freak...the moment you decided not to rely on me. But now you have to, or else you'll lose her too."_**

_"Shut up already! I already know that..."_

He drifts back through the past, sifting through memories between himself and Eto; the moment they first met; when he learned of her identity; their first kiss; their confessions of their love; it was all there.

"..._I won't let it end here."_

He walks over to the lain corpses of Ayato, Noro, and Tatara. Tatara's hand achingly greets Omou's hand as he reaches for his neck. Blood oozed as a result of his force. "We must...go after her..." He grunts painfully.

"I know."

Around the corner, came a group of CCG investigators. The sight of Omou quickly brought everyone on alert. "That's him! That's Shadow! Everyone be on your gu-"

It was already too late. He stood behind the lone member of the group, with two of the investigators decapitated from the neck up and one other split through the center. The last one was no less fortunate, missing his left arm already.

**"Care to join me for dinner?"** The investigator let out a frightened scream before his neck gets crushed under the weight of his palm. Soon after, clapping ensued. And there Ayato was, on his knees, slowing clapping to the massacre he seemingly witnessed.

"Heh, for a second there, you actually looked like one of us."

And up he went. His neck fit snuggly into Omou's hand. "So you're gonna dispose of me too, senpai?"

**"Know your place."**

"Tch, oh yeah? How about you-" He grips Omou's shoulders and springs his legs off his body, rotating his legs towards his face. Ayato soon found himself writhe in further pain, as his legs were in the middle of being crushed within Omou's hands.

**"Perhaps we could do without your insolent attitude.. We could always find a replacement for you. Now, can YOU say the same about me?"**

"Aughhh!"

**"I'm sorry, what was that?"**

"Ngh...no..."

**_"Kill him!"_**

Stunned for a moment, Omou bites into his arm. The sound of his flesh tearing woke Tatara and Noro from their premature coma.

"Then you've got a lot of catching up to do, and you'll have plenty of time when I'm gone. But right now, I need your help to bring her back."

"Hmph, you condescending piece of shit." When Omou lets go of him, Ayato yanks him by the collar. "You should've said that first! And for the record, I'm doing this for our boss, not for you, ya got that?!"

Relieved, Omou let out a hopeful smile. "Understood."

Suddenly the voice loomed through his mind once more, though with a weaker tone than earlier. **_"...Why?! Why didn't you-"_**

_"Don't kid yourself. I'm not that hopeless without you."_

As he turned around, to his surprise, Noro stood on the ground, kneeling before him. "Noro-kun...thank you."

Behind him, however, Tatara crawls in the opposite direction. "Must...save...Eto...no one's going to...get in my...way...hm?"

Standing next to him, Omou extends a hand to him. "Get away from me you useless trash."

"You're trash too, if I recall. Let's be trash together."

"Hmph."

Noro extends his hand to him as well. "You too, huh?" Finally, he grabs for both their hands and lifts himself up.

Omou points down a street. "That bastard's probably on his way to the 20th ward to get Kaneki-kun."

"How do you know he's there?" Tatara asked suspiciously.

"I don't. I'm banking on the idea that we've all left at around the same time. Unless you want to bet that he might've went back to the 11th ward?"

"His goal this whole time was Eto and Kaneki, wasn't it?"

"I don't think it was as much of a focus until now, at least. Now that Amaya-chan's left him, it would seem he's taken her place, and now he's pushing his plan forward, before things begin to spiral out of his control." Soon, everyone began to make their way to the 20th ward.

Glass shatters as the resulting collision from Kaneki's kagune and Amon's quinque flings him outside of Anteiku. Already outside, Reiya and Arima proceed to move at the speed of light, with Arima playing the defensive against Reiya's assault, occasionally attempt to block a few of her swipes and ending in failure when they seem to go through his Ixa. When she misses a swipe, he whacks her on the head with the hilt of his quinque and kicks into her side, sending her toward the ground before landing onto his feet.

"So you are immune to a ghoul's attacks."

She reappears to his back, and he shakes her off as she attempts to bite him, soon after somersaulting onto the ground to avoid another one of Amaya's wisps.

"Amaya-chan! Leave this guy to me! Go help Kaneki-kun if you can! But only...if it seems to be too much for him."

"Mm, okay." She runs over toward where Amon and Kaneki are fighting.

"Why?"

"Eh? Why what?"

"Why do you insist on helping ghouls? Are you not aware of the power you hold?"

She looks away, overtaken by sadness. "Doesn't mean I asked for it. He could've given it to anyone else, but for some reason, it had to be us."

She rushes at him with blazing speed. To her surprise, he unsheathes his Ixa and smacks her in the face with the suitcase. He then pulls out a sword from his suit and throws away the suitcase. "Have you ever once considered why you was picked?"

"Because our father happened to be a ghoul scientist? Because he was a sick-twisted bastard who wanted to watch us fight each other to the death? Because he-...he-"

"That girl who was with you...is she your sister?"

"Not by blood, if that's what you mean."

"But you two treat one another as such?"

"Yeah..."

"What was she before she became like you?"

"...A ghoul."

Her answer brought him to a pause. _"A human and a ghoul...what's the connection?"_

** Bang**

Reiya's paws collide ferociously with Arima's blade, recoiling each other unexpectedly. _ "So that's why..."_

"Why what?" Instead of an answer, she barely back-flips away in time to avoid his slash. He vanishes from her sight, reappearing to her side. _"Crap!"_

** Slice**

Her left arm comes falling off like butter, putting Reiya into a state of shock.

"As immune your body may be to RC cells, your body is still itself human." He raises his blade to her. "Which means you're not impenetrable."

Finally, Reiya gives off a nervous smirk. "Well, that's fine then. This wouldn't be much fun if I was anyway." She said, as her arm slowly regenerates itself. I can't afford to back down here, because there's someone even more terrifying than you and I who needs to be brought down a peg. And I can't fight him alone."

"Would he be the one who made you the way you are?"

"Mm. that's him."

He pauses and ponders to himself in that moment. His eyes begin to expand when Reiya's form began to dissolve, returning her to her human appearance. She quickly gets down to the ground and begs. "Please! Help us!"

** Bang**

Kaneki flies high into the air, having been sent to the skies by the collision of Amon's enormous blade. After twirling himself into position, he dives down toward him, only to have his tentacles meet with thin air as he vanishes from sight. Amaya gawks at the quick reactions one another gave to each other. Kaneki turns and greets Amon's blade, blanketed by his tentacles to cushion the blow before falling onto the ground. Amon soon followed, slamming his quinque towards him. Kaneki rolls forward and lunges for him. "Shit!" His blade shrinks down to a dagger, enabling him to stop his trajectory and barely dodge the strike.

**"Ahh, so that's your trick."**

"Heh, pretty nifty, isn't it? It allows me to maintain both speed and power against you, Kura II."

**"How cute."** Kaneki said from behind him, to his shock.

"Nghh!"

His blade enlarges, but not quickly enough to dodge one of the tentacles which grazes him through the hip. "Gaughh!"

**"You don't look so fast to me, though."**

"Don't you go bragging just yet. If I could fall to something like that, I could never show my face back at the office."

He plants his blade into the ground and feels his bleeding hip. Kaneki rushes to his other side.

**"You're slipping, Amon-ku-Gaghh!"**

Amon pokes him hard in the stomach with the back of the blade before thrusting it toward him. It slices through two of his tentacles before he ducks down and parries with the remaining two. The blade retracts once more and he swings it as it begins to enlargen again. Kaneki was already gone from his spot, in the air and pelting his two tentacles against him, stabbing his arm and leg. Amon yelled in pain, all the while Kaneki walked towards him, kicking him in the face and onto the ground.

**"It looks like I win, Amon-kun."** He declared, as he slowly walks toward a struggling Amon.

"Did you really?"

**"Huh?"** He traced the source of the voice to Amaya, who was staring at him with big, gloomy eyes. "If you ask me, it wasn't Kaneki Ken that defeated Amon-kun. It was the ghoul that defeated_him_. Do you honestly expect to be able to look Rei-chan in the face when this is over? Just look at yourself..."

He stared at her momentarily before chuckling, and thereafter falling into a pit of laughter. **"You think I care? If she doesn't accept it, I'll just ki-"** His tentacles begin to flail about as he plants his hands over his head, aching in pain and yelling in agony.

"Aww, poor Kaneki. Perhaps I can help ease the pain!"An incredibly loud smashing sound ensued as multiple bones within Kaneki's body break under the weight of his fist, soon finding himself in Anteiku, unable to move.

_"Who's that guy?"_ Amaya wondered. _"...And where did he come fro-"_ A beast-like shadow fell upon her, as the man stared at her menacingly. Flexing his index finger, he howls to her, "Or would you rather become my plaything?" He flings his fist at her and she crashes into the ground - or would have, had Amon not taken her place, attempting to block off his punch. Instead, the impact forces him down, creating a crater around him.

"Nghh! Run, miss!"

"...But, why? I'm a ghoul, don't you know that?!"

"Ghoul or not, I'm just repaying the favor. Now, run!"

The man slams both his fists down against them, stopping halfway as they made contact with her arms. "Eh?"

Rather than breaking off, his fists merely clashed with her arms. "Hmph, guess he was right to warn me about you. No matter, at least this way, I get to go all out with you!" Suddenly white blood begins to ooze from his chest, slowly encompassing his entire body. His shape took the form of a minotaur. She stared at the sight in shock.

"Now now, Amaya-san?" The ominous voice said in the distance, near where Arima and Reiya were fighting. "Do not fret. What you're witnessing in Yamori here is the power that awaited you, if you had only stayed by my side. But instead, you stand as the wilting flower between everything that blossoms. No different from before I met you."

"I don't care. Relying on your strength wouldn't have been the answer. Just like everything else around me, I need to be able to shine on my own. I'm no longer a puppet who relies on your light, unlike this guy." The minotaur shaped man lets out a loud, ferocious roar, angered by her words."

"Touching, but empty nonetheless. I will finish my mission without you, as useful as you were in the beginning. You'll die here as the worthless flower you were meant to be."

"I'm okay if it does end that way...after I've given it my all!"

_"This girl..."_ Amon thought to himself. _"Her heart is pure...even for a ghoul. Why...does she have to be a ghoul?"_ Tears rolled down his face as he laments over that harsh fact.

Reiya and Arima stare down Virus as he slowly approaches them.

"So that's him."

She nods her head silently. "I see." Reiya averts her gaze to the body Virus had latched to his side. "That's..."

"Ahh, this? Just a vessel. I'm here to acquire the other one now. I expect it to be as trivial a matter to retrieve as the previous."

She grits her teeth in rage and rushes at him. "Damn youuu!"

"Aaattagirl." He drops Eto and disappears, tripping her over the fallen body. Within Anteiku, Virus waltzes through its floors as he retrieves Kaneki. "I trust you are smart enough not to oppose me, am I right, Yoshimura-kun?" "...Your time will come soon, Van."

"Not before the bridge between human and ghoul disappears, I hope. Under one rule, one being, one god."

"Not if she has anything to say about it." Yoshimura said, pointing at Reiya as she enters the cafe. In an instant, she collides with Virus, with the both of them parrying each other's infused arm. "Do you really have what it takes to defeat me? When even the leader of Aogiri, much less your brother were unable to-"

"Their fight isn't over yet. Unless we finish this now, it'll never be."

"Hah, indeed! Now, **come**!"

* * *

Going through some nasty times with lappy-chan right now. Boy, I wonder how the hell you save a pc from having to be rebuilt...  
WHEN IT CAN'T EVEN RESTART FOR SH-

Anywho, as of now the issues that I had Friday are still occurring now. Pfft, for all I know this might be the last time I upload with this laptop

OKAY enough with my complaining xD

Sorry for the...unexpected delays .

Thank you for reading and for following the story all this time T.T


	23. Petal 22

**Beware** \- Grotesque imagery (marked between **)

**Vanishing Act**

With the inside of Anteiku in shambles, Reiya gets blown through the left side of the cafe, having been deflected by Virus. She leaps once more at him and meets the same result.

"Why do you continue to resist? To meddle with the process of evolution...of natural selection that was already necessitated many, many years ago? The more you resist, the more you prove that you're unfit of existing within this world. That your very existence is a mis-"

"Natural selection? Evolution? Give me a break...in the end, we're all humans, aren't we? Regardless of what makes us different; our tongue; the color of our skin; our past; even our genetic makeup. The conflict between people and ghoul isn't something that'll go away overnight, and this solution is no different..." Suddenly, her claws extended."

"Don't look me in the face and say that making yourself the king of an entirely new race independent of both humans and ghouls..." Reiya readies her stance. "...is the answer to everything!"

She rushes once more towards him and vanishes from sight.

"Hmph!" He looks behind himself to see a speeding beam of light jetting towards him. She pierces him through the shoulder, and the sting of pain brings a smile to his face. "Yes, yes! That look on your eyes! That's the look of someone whose belief holds weight in their heart...Very well then. Allow me to show you the difference in our resolve."

Upon taking the first step, Reiya's ears began to ring. In the next, she returned to normal, falling onto her knees and hands. She starts yelling and what soon followed was white liquid exuding her ears. _"What's...going on?" _Images began to flash through her mind.

_Omou, clad and held to the wrist in chains. His head was decapitated with his legs cut up to the hip. A smile on Virus's face appeared opposite to him._

_Amaya, also bare, with her arms tied to her back and her chest ripped open with a punctured uterus protruding from the hole, laid lifeless among the bright pink covers of the bed. A familiar silhouette was seen exiting the room, wiping his hands._

Next was an image of Kaneki, lying peacefully on the ground, unresponsive. His hair had yet to turn, his nature yet to sour. The same silhouette from before approaches him, crouches down, and whispers into his ear. In mere moments, his hair turned white, as did his eyes, as the white substance enshrouded him completely. "_Why did you have to resist? We could've been together."_ He said to Reiya.

_"Huh?"_

She herself didn't know that she was present in the vision. As she looks down to confirm her existence, Kaneki's hand goes straight through her neck. _"You're not Reiya...You're nothing like my Reiya. An imposter like you has no right to live!"_

"Kaneki..."

As tears fall down her cheeks, she tries and struggles immensely to yell." Finally, she closes her eyes, resigned to her fate.

"Jeez, will you shut up already?!"

_"Wh-Wha-"_

"If you really plan on letting it end like this, then just roll over and die, but not before I show you and Amaya what I've been saving myself for all this time."

_"Brother?!"_

The curtain fell as the images of Kaneki and Virus fade into nothingness.

Finally, Reiya opens her eyes to the sight of Omou, much to her shock. His dusk black wings seemed to be as long as an angel, and his face seemed more menacing than even Virus.

In the middle of dodging Yamori's attacks, Amaya catches a glimpse of Omou, and her attention soon followed. "Omou-kun! ...Huh?"

"Right here, I'll finally be able to make it up to the both of you." Omou declared.

Across from him, Virus ponders to himself. _"How is he still breathing? I was sure that I had obliterated his kakuh-"_ Omou shoots a black crystallized spike at Virus and he jolts away from it.

_Or so he thought._

Omou was already behind the spike's trajectory, as he thrusts it straight into his back. "Hngh!"

Splashes of his blood fell onto Omou, and he grunts in pain accordingly. Eventually the impalement halts itself, and the spike dissolves into his blood. "Hm, did I surprise you?"

"If nothing else, your being here certainly is. I was sure that I had dealt the fatal blow...So much so that I had neglected to attempt to sense you. Surely, you're not thinking the result will be any different because of this?"

With a cold smile, Omou answers, "Ask me that after I've put a few more holes through you. And who says I'm not just a ghost, destined to finish the task left behind when I was alive?"

"Omou..." Reiya called his name with a worried tone. The back of his shoulder had been leaking blood. _"You idiot!" _With her previous form restored, she appears by his side.

Amaya follows suit and runs to them. Amon yelled for her, "Hey, get back here! Shit!" The minotaur proceeds to slam both his fists towards Amon, when Arima shows up behind him, slashing his heels. The beast screamed in pain, and soon yelled in a pit of rage.

"Get ready, here he comes."

"I can see that." The two charge Yamori.

In Anteiku, Virus laughs joyfully. "My, what a sight. The three of you standing before me...what a reunion this is! The next question is though...do you have the means to stop me? I think not!" The ceiling above them conforms to a gooey white substance that quickly hardens into miniature stalactites.

"Crap!"

"Hah!" Emerging from the ground came a pool of white blood underneath Omou. "Aghh!" The flurries of spikes soon rain down on the three. Reiya rushes toward Virus like a bolt, while Amaya pins Omou down, blocking off the attack with her back, visibly covered in white.

"You know, I've been meaning to apologize to you...since that day. Yet...even now..."

Not long after, she begins to cry. "I really do love you."

"...I love you too."

"Not the way I love you! Ever since we were kids, I've been in love with you. You always did your best to be there for me, no matter what. You were always the one to put up with all of my issues...even raising hell for my sake."

"Hah, please. I was only doing what I thought a brother would do. It wasn't that big a deal."

"It was to me!"

_"Shut up."_

His face was overtaken by surprise, and soon sadness. "I don't want you to blame yourself for the things that have happened. It wasn't your fault that Rei-chan and I ended up like this. Nor was it your fault that I did the things I did afterward...it was a path that I went down on my own, foolishly. Because I let myself get overwhelmed by jealousy and even my feelings for you got in the way. For what I've done...someone like me doesn't deserve you."

_"Shut up."_

If things had gone differently...if I had just been more brave, maybe things would've turned out differently. If it doesn't lead to us being together, at least I wouldn't have to worry about you not seeing me as a wom-" He thrusted forward, kissing her on her open lips. Immediately, she froze in place.

When their lips detached, her eyes began to glow at him.

"Those were my feelings for you, until I met Eto. Unlike you, I was a lot more guilty about the way I felt, so it was easier for me to toss them aside. And it's just as you said, maybe things could've gone differently. But...thank you for your feelings." He then wraps his arms around her back. "Thank you for being alive."

"H-Huh?" Her flaming cheeks held her back for a few moments, before she finally reciprocated, at least partially, with a tug to his shirt.  
"Don't say sad things like that. You'll kill the mood..."

"Heh, sorry..."

**Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh**

Virus continues to dodge Reiya's flurries, soon grabbing her tail and flinging her outside the cafe. "Meddlesome brat." A large white orb forms in his hand, but before he could shoot it, Omou appears in his face once more. "Nghhh! Why don't you just die already?!" He headbutts Omou, fracturing his skull as he follows up with an oncoming slash from his arm, which had turned into the shape of a blade. "DIE!"

**Slice**

"Ngh...wh-what?!"

From both sides, Reiya and Amaya pierce him. Omou greets him with a deathly glare. He tries once more to pierce Virus through, and once more it fails, but not without making contact with his heart. In a panic, blood pools thinly from his body, pierces all three of them, though Omou faced the brunt of it, being pierced in multiple parts of his body. They could hear him breathing exhaustedly for the first time.

"...It would seem...that I've underestimated the three of you..._gravely_." He vanishes from between them. "Crap!" Reiya bolts around in search of him, finally catching sight of him in the distance, with a still unconscious Eto at his side.

"Don't you worry. We _will_ finish this. But first, I've gotta fill up~" He disappears from the street, and Omou rushes after him, oblivious to his injuries.

"Omou-kun! Wait!"

Reiya tries to run for Omou, but Noro grabs her shoulder and stops her, shaking his head slowly. A considerable chunk of his shoulder was missing.

"Eh?" She looks to her other side, and finds Amayas wiping away her tears.

"Don't tell me that...this whole time..." She grabs Amaya by the wrist and takes off. and rushes after him. "Don't be so quick to give up! We can still save him."

She reassured her, as they rush after Omou and Virus.

* * *

Yas, Friday update!

...Barely .

So THIS time, I decided to put some sort of warning this time around. Some...not so pleasant stuff happens, and to be frank, I'm terrified if it's even okay to have it in there...but yolo!

Another chapter down, another step towards the end...It's just recently started sinking in, and it sucks T.T

Thank you to everyone who's read this story (even if it was just one chapter, at least you tried :D). Who's followed, favorited, and comment (some of whom I've yet to reply to q.q) on this strikeseries/strike (story). I likely won't be doing any more stories of this nature...moreso oneshots here and there if anything xD


	24. Petal 23

**A Masked Heart**

Hot on Virus's trail, Omou's pace remained ever so fierce, and yet his mind ever so detached from the moment. He thought back to the past, where only his father's words awaited him.

_"Do you believe what a ghoul fights for is any different from a human?"_

"Eh? We fight for food and survival, don't we?"

"That is true. Humans hunt animals for food, just as we hunt them for the same, and they fight to survive as we have. It is no different than if there were something to protect.

"Something...to protect?"

"Yes, something that means more to you than even your own survival. When it comes to the things we want to protect, humans and ghouls can relate to one another. It's truly a beautiful thing."

"How is dying for someone you love beautiful?"

"Perhaps that is a question you should ask your mother. We had gotten low on our food supply, and it was a few days before your birth. In the end, she committed suicide to prevent herself from consuming you, while providing the food you needed to survive."

"Oh...So, mother died because of me then..."

"'For' you, son. There is a difference, even if you can't see it yet. And one day, you may be faced with a similar situation."

He said with a smile, as the memory subsides, leaving more images in his head; images of his deceased father on the street, in front of a group of ghouls.

_"Human? Ghoul? What difference did it ever make? As long as you have a heart, and a conscience, there's always the potential to do wrong. There will always be people and ghouls out there who enjoy inflicting pain on others. Even if the man I'm after dies, that fact won't change. I won't have to worry about any of that once I'm dead...But, Reiya-san, Eto-san, Amaya-san... they are what I want to protect. I want to be their shield. Their darkness."_

"

I will defeat you, Virus!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

A voice appeared from above, and Omou looks up to find Virus descending toward him with an oncoming lunge. He rolls away from the collision and crashes Virus into the ground. He let out a loud yell as the black wings on his back protrudes and pulsates.

"It would seem I'm not the only one pressed for time. Hmph, given into your kakuja, eh?"

"As long as I bring you down, it doesn't matter if it takes control over me or not.

For a moment, there was silence, as Virus scanned Omou's eyes.

"They've got more focus than last time, though, I doubt it will change the outcome, especially now that..." He stick out his tongue, revealing a dark red coating on his tongue. Omou's eyes expanded with both shock and anger.

"...I've gotten a bit more fuel in the tank. And not just any fue-"

Omou's kagune immediately clashes with his arm from behind.

"Perhaps it'd be best if I just showed you, you annoying brat!" With blood swiftly exiting his body, he swipes at air, as Omou zigzags around to his side, disappearing once more and leaving an array of shards in his wake.

**Slice**

At the speed of light, Omou cuts Virus at his back, but to no effect, causing him to laugh briefly. "Surely, you're not expecting me to go down to these feeble attacks! C'mon, show me the true power of a kakuja!"

"Hey...hey...hey, dumbass! Wake up already!"

Touka soon regains consciousness. "Eh? When did I-"

"Just get your ass up already. We've gotta take out that thing over there."

"What thin-" She gasped at the sight of the white create outside Anteiku, currently waging war on the investigators, as Noro and Tatara soon enter the fray. When Yamori flings Amon away from hims, he bumps into Noro. "Ngh! More enemies!" Noro shakes his head swiftly.

"I'm sure a temporary truce would be favorable for both of us." Tatara suggests, walking next to Arima.

"What makes you ghouls think you can even put a dent in him?"

"Omou's done it. Surely, with enough time, we can do the same."

"Hmph, do what ya want!"

In Anteiku, Ayato breathes a sigh of relief. "With all of us taking this bastard down, this shouldn't take too long, and then we'll be able to catch up to Omou-kun and the othe-"

Ayato gets impaled by a flurry of tentacles, launched by Kaneki.

**"Sorry, he was in my way." **He decided as he heads out of Anteiku. **"No one hunts my prey but me, unless you wish to become part of the feast!"**

He splits Ayato in two and throws him out the window.

**"Now then, who else wants a piece of m-"**

A headbutt to the back sends Kaneki flying through the street, as Touka stares in awe at the culprit's ominously white hair.

"Oh?" He said with a surprised expression as he looked at Touka. "Oh? You're not Reiya-san...Hmm, I guess that was him who had her scent...And who are you to her? Friend? Enemy?"

"I'm not her enemy, and neither is Kaneki-kun. If you're looking for something to fight, he's over there." She said, pointing at the hulking white creature a good ways from them."

"Ahh..._We meet again at last._"

He vanishes from her sight. Yamori deflects Arima's slash and immediately turns to his back to catch Juuzou's sneak attack.

"Nghh, J-Juuzou-san!" Overtaken by shock, Amon merely stared in awe at the ensuing clash between Juuzou and Yamori.

"Hohoh, you could actually see that? Wow, you _have_ gotten stronger since we last met!"

"Can't say the same for you though. You look as weak and scrawny as ever!" He then slams his arm onto the ground in an attempt to squish him, but he flips over his arm and lands a few cuts onto Yamori's face from his knives, doused in his blood.

"Aghh, still annoying as ever. Just lie down and die already!" He swings his arms in a 360 degree angle and clashes with Juuzou's blades for a moment before smashing through his defense. He recoils through the surface of the street, wiping the blood off his lip upon standing on his feet. Images of Shinohara pass through his mind, eventually bringing a smile to his face.

"Here I go. Watch over me, Shinohara-san." His eyes descend upon Yamori with a cold glare. Blood pulsates through his arms and legs, yet only internally. He dashes toward Yamori, revealing the assortment of knives in his jacket, when Kaneki intercepts him.

**"Go find your own food!" **His kagune dives for Juuzou, but end up splitting when Arima intervenes. In that brief moment, he asks Juuzou, "Can you handle him on your way?"

"Mm, leave it to me."

"Then we'll focus on the ghouls."

"I think you're a little too late." Tatara and Noro had already fled the scene.

"Not for the one-eyed ghoul."

"Then have at it."

Miles away from Anteiku, Yomo carries Touka on his back. "Let go of me! We have to go help them!"

"We're not going to leave Kaneki-kun behind. Yoshimura's with him."

"You know that's not enough! We have to go back for them!"

Further away from Anteiku, Ayato regains consciousness to find himself in a similar situation; pinned onto Noro's back.

"H-heh? Why aren't we back there fighting?! Nee-san's back there!"

Looking back at Ayato's pained expression, he continues onward, replying, "The girl's already left. We need to catch up to Eto and the others."

"Tch...yeah, and that stupid asshole. Biting Noro and then running off like he's some kinda goddamn hero."

"He'd be dead now were it not for that. Moreover, Eto would likely be long gone had he not had the strength to intervene with Virus."

"Don't remind me...That idiot, always putting himself into the fire. Always getting into the thick of things, with no care for his own life."

"Sounds to me that you've become concerned for him. Just as our leader has. It's all you can do towards him now. He doesn't have much time left."

"Sh-Shut up! As long as he's able to save the boss, I can care less about what happens to him." He grits his teeth, as if contradicting his own feelings.

Omou leaps away from Virus's oncoming strike, shooting a barrage of dark spikes at him before disappearing underneath their shadows. The flurry merely graze him, yet their impediment of his vision make it difficult to pinpoint Omou. Finally, he appears in front of him, as a shadow himself, and vanishes once more, but not without leaving a gaping hole to his side. He looks back at him, no less surprised.

_"How is this boy still so strong?"_

His left wing slowly regenerates, but he charges back toward him nonetheless.

_"In the face of death, how does he remain so composed?"_

He continues his assault, flashing from side to side to inflict more blows with his right wing, which had extended into the shape of a dragonfly's before folding toward him.

Virus's attempts at deflecting are made null to Omou's sheer speed, leaving him unable to counterattack. He grits his teeth and begins to morph into the white blood within him, unleashing it in a grand implosion of which Omou is unable to avoid.

Nor did he try to. Virus, morbidly shocked, veers into Omou's eyes, unchanging from the cold calmness it displayed this entire time.

_"Ahh...so that's why..."_

Omou's wings split into six as he rushes toward him, though lacking the speed he once showed.

_"He's already accepted his death...Well then..._**Allow me to oblige you!"  
**  
White shining blades protrude through his hands as he meets Omou head on.

"Hahh-ngh!" Omou backflips onto his hands, causing the wings to thrust Virus's arms upward. In the same instant, he lands back onto his feet and lunges for him, cutting straight through him, before kicking him into a nearby building. "Gaugghh!"

With his wings slowly decreasing in size and his eyes growing more restless, his fatigue was quickly showing. Omou bites his lip and grimaces.

_Do not cry my boy. Thus were the fleeting words of his father figure. "This is not the time for crying, but of celebration. Tell me, was my death not beautiful? Was it not an unbefitting death for a lowly ghoul, ordinarily fated to a lonesome, disgusting one? Your life is what gives my death meaning. And that meaning will live on through you. Promise me that you'll live meaningfully for the sake of that beauty...that you'll die a more beautiful death than I. Promise me...Promise...m-"_

Omou's breathes begin to regain his composure as he relays his father's words. _"Not sure if dying to a bunch of ghouls was the meaningful death you was hoping for, but..."_

Virus explodes toward him in an attempt to take advantage of his weakened pace. Omou attempts to dodge, but soon loses his left arm in the exchange, followed by a kick to the stomach.

_"I've already found people that I'm willing to die for...People who would miss me when I'm gone."_

Virus grabs his face and enflames his hand, melting through his skin and flesh.

_"I was looked up to...feared...hated...even loved."_

His vision swiftly leaves him, as Virus imparts onto his ears.

"Rest now, pitiful ghoul."

_"I knew from the very beginning I wouldn't be able to stop him. No matter how strong or ruthless I would've become, it would never be enough to surpass him, whose years far surpass mine."_

He grabs Virus's hand, as his white blood oozes onto his hand, weakening both their grips.

_"This is the best I can do for you, Reiya-san...Amaya-san. Show him the power, that humans and ghouls share._

"The power of our hearts!" He swats Virus's hand away and gets back on his feet. His skin grows pale, as the blood within him fuels into his punctured kakuhou, expanding his wings into the shape of a black peacock_'s _wing. He punctures Virus's flesh, but as before, remains short of his heart.

"So this is as far as I goes, huh?" He puts on a pained smile. "Figures..."

Suddenly, he felt a pair of soft hands pushing against his back. "You always did do everything on your own, you big jerk. You really need to rely on others for a change."

"Hah. Who better to start with than you, then?"

"Geez..."

To his misfortune, he was unable to see the tears falling from her face, nor her subtle cries. He could only feel her heart aching, as her blood traveled through him, and into his kagune, turning his otherwise black wings into a fusion of black and white, and thus puncturing Virus's heart. His eyes gapped wide open as a surge of pain welcomed him, with Omou brutally stabbing his heart repeatedly, pulling out once more before a final lunge through his entire mid-section.

The kagune explodes in a surge of blood, finally bringing Omou to the ground for the last time. His fall, however, was broken up, having fallen instead into Amaya's arms. He could feel her tears falling down his cheeks. He slowly places his palm on her cheek. "Don't cry. You always did let me see your tears. Would it kill you to send me off with a smile?"

She attempts to wipe away her tears as she rubs her cheek against his palm. "Isn't it your fault that I'm this way?" Finally, she lets out a smile, as painful as it seemed.

"Are you saying I should've taken responsibility for you?"

"Of course not...It's just as you said. If only things were different..."

"...If things were different...I'd probably still be here now."

"I might not have fallen in love with you though."

"True. I would've never left to join Aogiri, nor would I have cared much for what happened to you two. I'd probably end up becoming a very despicable ghoul, and have died off many years later...a lonely, pathetic death. I guess I have my father to thank for that. And mother. And you all as well, for accepting me, and acknowledging my existence. As long as I'll be missed, dying...doesn't feel so bad."

"Iyaaa!"

"Eh?"

A white light surrounds Omou, as his vision returns to him, with a soothing warmth surrounding him. Amaya holds him close, with no plans of letting go.

"Please don't go."

"Amaya, that's enough. It's okay."

"Please don't leave me! I can't...I can't..."

"Amaya..." His eyes begin to water up, not at all helped by Reiya joining in.

"Sorry, you're going to have to deal with us for a little longer! That'll be your punishment. At least acknowledge what you're leaving behind, you damn idiot!"

As tears fall down his face, he smiles in relief.

"You two really are something! I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, and I'm sorry I couldn't be with you longer. But please," He grabs Amaya's hand, with Reiya cupping his in unison. "live on. Live on, for me." His eyes descend for the final time.

"Live on, and find happiness."

Silence fills the air as he ceases to be, soon to be replaced by Amaya's wails.

And Virus's clapping, startling the both of them.

"That's it! The game's over! And the victor has been decided!"

"H-How're you still alive?!"

"Oh, come now! There is nothing in this body that can't be repaired, with the proper food supply. The blood of a one-eyed ghoul makes us practically immortal! And plus," He points at Amaya. "One of you has just ran out of steam!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Reiya wondered."

"Hah! And here I thought you had it all figured out! The strength born from your heart! It is both your greatest weapon, and your soul weakness!"

He pounds his chest proudly. "Each test subject is born with a wish, a wish that draws on the power of their heart to accomplish. It's the trigger to unlocking our full potential. But just what do you think happens when that wish disappears? When it becomes fulfilled? You become like that poor worm, and lose your power forever!"

**Clash**

"What?!"

Amaya collides with Virus, wielding a long, thin white blade.

"How can you...Could you have...No..." He deflects her away. "That boy's wish...it imparted onto you?"

"Probably. If what you say is true, then there's no reason why I should still be able to fight. I did end up wishing for this power to bring myself closer to Omou-kun, but then I learned that what I wanted was something I could've accomplished on my own. I never needed it in the first place, and it showed when I had to face Rei-chan. But it's not just for myself that I'm using it now. For Rei-chan and Omou-kun, I'll hold onto it for just a little while longer, until we take down the person who screwed with all of our lives in the first place."

White blood emerges from Virus towards Amaya, and she hops away to avoid it. It soon encapsulates him, changing his form. "What you desire is an impossibility. Behold, my undying, infinite wish; to consume this world in darkness, and make it bow before me and my ingenious creations! Once you two are gone, there will be NOTHING to stand in the way of that. Regrettably, my goal required you two in the first place in order to acquire the need pieces."

"And then you would've pitted us against each other to take care of us." Reiya concluded.

"You catch on quick. However, this scenario is no less favorable, just requires a bit more work. Then the rest is cake! So do me a favor, and die quickly!" His blood completely consumes him, turning him to the form of a grim reaper, carrying two glowing scythes."

"Guess we're finally gonna settle this."

"Mm, for Omou-kun." Amaya struggles to keep from crying again.

Soon enough, Ayato and the others show up.

"It's those guys. The ones who were with him...Hey! You three! Grab Eto-san and get the hell away from here!"

"Hmph, we don't need _you_ to tell us that." As Tatara walks over to Eto, Ayato and Noro walk over to a deceased Omou.

"And just like that, the dumbass gets himself killed. And look at him...smilin', without a goddamn care in the world. As if I'd feel sorry for a loser like that!"

Noro pats Ayato on the back, as he struggled to hold back tears. Noro gives a final bow toward his fallen comrade, before catching up with Tatara, with Eto in tow.

Finally, Tatara says, "How long have you been up?"

With an aching voice, she replies, "Does it matter?"

"You had nothing to say before his passing?"

"Amaya-chan had already taken the stage. Hearing her, I wouldn't hesitate to say that her love was more genuine than mine, even though I'm half-human. But it was fun, seeing it was like... to love and feel loved. He truly was an interesting boy. I guess all good things must come to an end, after all." She said, despite leaving tears behind.

Virus laughs at the girls as he ascends into the air. "Settle this?! There's nothing to settle, only for me to massacre your soon to be corpses and take over this world, AHAHAH-Gaughh!"

A spurt of blood flies out of his mouth.

"Hmm, immortal, huh? Even Omou-kun holds that title more than you do."

"Hah, a mere corpse? Immortal? Compared to ME? Laughable..._ Ngh, it would seem I still have a ways to go before I fully recover. As if a mere ghoul could inflict mortal damage on me. As if he could be enough motivation for them to overcome a titan like me. He no longer has anything to do with this...so why..." _He grips his heart in pain.

_"No matter! Everything will end once I win."_

Reiya smiles brightly, patting Amaya on the back. "Let's go. No more crying."

After momentarily wiping her eyes, she nods at Reiya. "Mm."

Reiya takes up her form, and Amaya, after some hesitation, manages to do the same, taking on a similar form, only it was black. They both leap toward him as he readies his scythes.

* * *

Finally, the penultimate chapter! Next chapter will probably be just as painfully long as this one, if not moreso, so I'll probably be ending...on a Sunday D:

Aaaand just like that, one more chapter...one more...chapter...

Stay tuned to see how it'll all end! Surely in some blood...or whatever name I can come up with for that .


	25. Petal 24 (FINAL)

**Project White Rose**

With an outpour of blood flowing from Yamori's arm, he gripes in the momentary pain, though his opponent was unyielding in his assault, appearing once more behind his neck, drilling multiple knives into him. Yamori swipes at Juuzou, collapsing soon after onto his knee, covering his aching neck cautiously.

"Heh, you've always been an annoying little pest. A pest is all you can stand to be," He taunts him as he slowly gets back onto his feet, with his size shrinking back down to normal in the process. "I almost can't wait to play house with you and your toy knives. I wonder how many of them I can stick into you before you croak!"

White tentacles resembling what used to be his kagune emerge from his back in a set of four. Juuzou's eyes widen when Yamori vanishes from his sight, reappearing at his lower left hip, with his tentacles lunging for Juuzou from the right. "You're not the only fast on-"

Two of the tentacles were immediately severed, while a pair of knives struck into his back where the other two emerged from, before Juuzou slams his knee into Yamori's face. He grits his teeth in grimace and charges toward Juuzou, throwing his arms forward in a futile attempt at hitting him.

Juuzou slides to the ground in anticipation, but soon notices a cheeky grin from Yamori. A harsh kick to the stomach soon followed, sending him upward to meet his fists coming down against him to the ground. The surface indents and cracks beneath him, as blood gushes from his mouth.  
A sheet of white blood had covered his chest, preventing further damage. He rolls to the side to dodge Yamori's fists and slashes his left knee, leaving the knife in place and inserting another in the opposite side. "Gahh!" A white energy immediately connects the two, severing his leg from the knee down, bringing him down to his other knee. Juuzou then swings another knife towards his face. "Haughhhh!"

Further down the road parallel to Anteiku, a kakuja-enraged Kaneki and Amon brawl it out, with Amon on the hard offensive. Kaneki's defense wavered, on the other hand, with looming thoughts plaguing him.

"_I wonder... how things would've turned out, had I not gotten involved with Reiya-chan. Would I have still been tortured, like that time?"_

He recalls the time when Amaya bit into his face, all while Amon deflects his tentacles away, before hurling his sword towards him. In the next instant, he appears before Kaneki as he tries to dodge the blade, grabbing his face as the blade pierces through his flesh. He throws him high into the air whilst sliding his quinque out of Kaneki.

_ "Perhaps I wouldn't be as weak as I am now, either..."_

He wondered, remembering the times when Reiya's had to protect him, as well as his earlier defeat to Amon.

_ "Perhaps I've even missed out many opportunities because of the path I've chosen."_

A silhouette of what seemed to be an older version of himself slowly surfaces before him.

_ "But.. even so... I've met someone who's accepted me for everything that I am," _An image of Reiya lingers in his mind. "_Someone who values the same things as I do. Who's full of joy and brightness, and yet can still put on a serious face._"

The six of his tentacles come together to block off Amon's attack.

_ "Right now, she's out there now, fighting for what she believes in. If I can't do the same, I won't be able to stay by her side!"_

A pair of tentacles break off from the rest and flank Amon from the side. "Nghh!" He barely dodges the assault from Kaneki's kagune, but flings himself toward Kaneki, who kicks him square in the face and sends him scurrying through the air.

Back on the ground, he speeds through it, trailing Amon in the air. He attempts to strike at him, when he grabs an empty hilt from his pocket. To his surprise, he blocks the attack with the force of both his swords, with the empty hilt protruding a large wide blade from it. "I won't go down that easily!"

"I don't expect you to!" He rescinds his tentacles. "What?!" Amon watches in shock as Kaneki spreads out his arms, his eyes and demeanor different from before.

_"Since when did he leave his kakuja state?" _Amon thought to himself.

The two blades pierce both his shoulders down, but not before a single tentacle emerges from behind and impales Amon through the stomach. He moan in pain, as a red stain began to appear on his suit. He looked coldly into Kaneki's eyes. He could see the sadness - the regret that lied present within them.

_"Why, do you look so sad? I'm your enemy, aren't I?"_

"What is your name?"

"Eh? Amon...Koutarou." He struggled to say, as he felt his consciousness slipping away.

_"No..."_ He lifts his blade.

_"Not after everything I've gone through!"_ He lifts his other blade.

_"Not after all the pain... all the training I had to go through! I won't let it end like this!" _ His arms come down slowly.

"Not like... this..."

He collapses to the ground, and as Kaneki kneels down to check him, worryingly calling out, "Amon-kun?", he soon finds himself on the ground next to him.

A flurry of white electric bolts impede on Reiya and Amaya as they rush on all fours towards the floating reaper-shaped being before them. With each bolt that met the ground, a wide shockwave scoured behind. Another one comes charging between them, forcing them to scurry in opposite directions. It was then when Virus took advantage by rushing towards Amaya, attacking her from her blind spot. "Hah!"

With the next leap, Reiya reaches him, ramming his right arm to disarrange the trajectory. He didn't mind, however, as his other arm was already arching towards her. What he didn't expect was for Amaya to lunge for his neck. "Nghh!" She manages a minor nibble into his neck before the poles of his scythes force the two back, and preventing further harm to come to his neck.

Suddenly, Reiya changed back to normal, and starts barking at Amaya. "Hey, watch yourself next time! I can't be there to save you every time!"

"S-Sorry! Though, it's not like I need you there... I can take care of myself."

Reiya pokes her lips out, unenthused by her plight. "You say that AFTER I come and save you... Eh?" The tail from Amaya's leopard form changes into the shape of her bikaku-type kagune.

"We won't win if you're constantly worrying about me. What good would Omou's suffering have been if I allowed myself to die here?" Reiya noticed the seriousness in her eyes, and knew there was a burning conviction within her words. "That's the spirit."

A gust of pressure pelted the two, as Virus appears between them both. "I'm afraid your defense is too weak. Rest peacefully in the afterli-"

An ominous shadow stood in front of him. "N-...No! You're supposed to be dead!" The shadow says nothing, merely staring him in the face with its arms bent and eyes blazing.

"Nghh! You think your presence changes anything?! You have NOTHING over me! Absolutely nothing! So just sit still while I trample on the-" A jolt of shock interrupts him when he passes through the shadow. His heart shivers, remembering the piercing wound dealt to it by the shadow that had dissipated. His presence brought fear to Virus, uncharacteristic of his earlier confident demeanor. He was speechless, demoralized, drained of his strength in that moment, but soon a sense of rage would begin to boil within him when he realized this.

"Even from the grave, you refuse to keep from my way." He disappears once more, dodging Reiya's swipe. _"No more."_ A blazing punch to the stomach met her, though, unguarded and uninhibited. "You will NOT run over me while I still breathe! You won't protect these two from my wrath. That, is an impossibility for you now."

"Rei-chan!" Amaya yelled for her, when Virus suddenly appeared next to her. "No matter what, I will win." His arm molds into his koukaku kagune as he plunges it toward her. She leaps away to avoid it, but this, he anticipated, turning readily toward her and continuing his lunge. She dives for the ground, and with her hind legs, parries the strike, while her tail impales him in the chest. "Agghh!" Alas, it barely missed his heart as the tail reappeared from out of his back.

The shadow appears once more to his side, taunting him with demoralizing words such as, "You can't win. Not as long as those two carry my will - the goal we all shared when this began - when you walked into our lives." Infuriated, Virus grits his teeth and balls his fist.

"SHUT UP! I AM GOD, TRANSCENDING ABOVE MAN AND GHOUL! What makes you think my victory is only an illusion?! YOU are the illusion!"

A speeding beam of light comes toward him, but he twists himself towards it and grabs it nonchalantly. "You've interfered for LONG enough." When she changes back to normal, he instead has her by the hair. _"W-Wait!"_

"Now, Amaya!" Finally, the shadow whispered to him, as it disappears for good:**  
"Between the three of us, lies your tomb."**

From both ends, they puncture him in the chest, with both their hands reaching his beating heart from opposite ends. "Gaugggh!" Blood poured from his mouth, and after looking down at his grave situation, he looks back up at them, laughing maniacally, as painful as it seemed. "Hah! How ironic...a ghoul on one end," He looked sorely at Amaya. "And a human on the other..." He said, looking back at Reiya. "Hmph... it almost reminds me of why I first started this whole experiment in the first place."

"Why did you start all of this?" Reiya wondered. "Why did you create WC cells? Why did you try to create someone who was stronger than both humans and ghouls?"

"It was," Interrupted with a blood-spewing cough, he continues, "to enable man and ghoul another option, aside from killing each other. It was something to distract from the typical bloodshed - to redirect it elsewhere. But," He looks up and stares into his hand. "all of that changed, once I began to realize the potential this power held. I could make this world mine, I thought." He drops his hand, quickly losing interest as his breaths became more subtle. "But I guess.. none of that matters anymore. Enjoy your time left, my loyal subjects...until the very end."

The heart ceases to beat, and his body disintegrates immediately after. The dust falls to the ground, and emerging from it was a tiny white leech, to both Reiya and Amaya's shock. "I-Is that what's been inside us this whole t-t-t-time?!" Amaya jolts backwards and holds herself in her arms.

"Well, that explains quite a bit."

"You don't think that..."

"All this time, we were really only half right." She lifts the leech up off the ground. "This thing is probably responsible for how we ended up like this."

"But how could such a tiny thing store all of our WC cells?"

"It probably doesn't. It might've fed off our blood, and in return, gave it back to us in the form of WC cells."

"And in that blood carried the strong emotions we held in our hearts?"

"Maybe. It would explain why you don't exhibit any of the usual characteristics of a ghoul, like your kakugan or your strong need for food when you get hungry. But if the WC cells came from it, and not from our hearts..."

"Does that mean we could return to normal once our hearts have satisfied their goal?"

"Who knows? Wasn't killing Virus your goal? Do you feel any different?"

"Nothing unusual."

"So much for that then..."

"In any case...we did it." She claps her hands together and looks up into the sky. "We... did it .. O... Omo..." She drops to the ground and rests her head over over hands as her tears began to overflow.

"What do you think you're doing, just crying yourself into a puddle? Omou-kun would be proud!" She extends her hand to Amaya. "You did great, Amaya-chan."

"Rei-chan.." She takes her hand up and hugs her. "Do you think that was him...that Virus saw?"

"No doubt that it was. He must've buried himself deep inside Virus's head all this time, and especially in his final moments."

With Yoshimura down on the ground, Arima watches Juuzou in the distance, as his battle nears its close.

Having lost both of his legs, Yamori grovels on the ground, as Juuzou slowly limps toward him. "Hoh, have you finally calmed down? You were quite the nuisance!"

"Shut up. I refuse to accept you as the stronger one. My feet will come back, and when that time comes-" He gasped after looking up into Juuzou's face, gleaming with malice, his laser red eyes piercing through his bravado.

"That won't matter once you're done, won't it?"

"N-NO! STOP! PLEASE!" The sound of puncturing, carving, and organ puncturing graced the air, with Juuzou having his way to the utmost with Yamori.

After the fatal surgery, he walks over to Arima. "Ahh, Arima-san! You're still alive!"

"As are you, it seems. You're certain he's dead?"

"I can double-check if you're worried!" Juuzou said happily, waving his bloody knife around.

"If you're that confident, then no need. Let's go catch up with Amon."

Juuzou nods his head and follows Arima's lead.

Nearing Amon's location, Arima asks Juuzou, "What would you consider yourself?"

Juuzou looked at Arima, confused by the question. "Hmm?"

"Do you consider yourself to be more ghoul or more human?"

"Oh, that. I don't know how being a ghoul would feel, though I do know what it's like to feel human. I don't think either really describes what I am, though."

"I see."

"Hey, Arima-san?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Shinohara-san would be proud of me? Of what I've done today?"

"I believe he would be."

"Even though I didn't manage to fight the man who killed him... somehow... I feel... re-lieved-" Arima catches him as he begins to faint. The shine in his hair began to return, as did the color in his otherwise sickly skin. Arima stood amazed by the sudden transformation. With one arm around him against his hip, he continues ahead to where Amon lies. And there he laid, lifeless... or so it seemed.

"If you continue to play dead, you really will be."

"... A-Ah, that's right." He gets on his feet and treats his wound with the help from Arima before heading back with him. The painful expression he had on the ground never left him, the look of frustration and disappointment at the defeat of Kaneki Ken. Despite all of his efforts, and despite his past victory against him, he had lost to him at such a crucial situation. "...Never again."

Days went by, soon cascading into weeks since the destruction of Anteiku and the death of Virus.

Juuzou awakens in a medical room after having been asleep for several weeks. He has since lost his WC cells and the abilities that came with them. But he didn't mind, as word had spread that they had found the remains of the man responsible for the death of Shinohara and countless other CCG investigators, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown. Amon comes in to check on him.

"I see you're finally up."

"Ahh, Amon-san!"

"How're you feeling?"

"I feel ready to get out of here and get back to work!"

"That's the right idea!"

"Hey, Amon-san...did you ever finish your fight?"

Amon stood silent for a moment, reflecting on his painful defeat, before nodding his head in confirmation.

"How did it go?"

"Next time... I will defeat him."

"Oh, so you lost. I'm sure you'll beat him next time!"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Anyway, I'll see you back at the office?"

As the sun outside illuminates the room through the window, Juuzou nods off to him, excitedly replying. "For sure!"

Locked up in her room, Eto lays flat across her bed, writing on a sheet of paper titled "Love's Curse."

"You really were an interesting one. But, the show must go on, as they say. Who knows what the future holds for Aogiri, but for what it's worth, you definitely helped to keep things fun."

She finishes up her writing, kissing the last page tenderly. "Goodbye, Omou-kun~"

She switches into her garment and leaves the room. On the other side of her door, she leans against it as she begins to reminisce over Omou again. She lets out a heavy sigh, disappointed by her failed attempt at forgetting about him.

"Not today I suppose..."

"That's probably for the best." Ayato said as he walks past her in the hallway. "As if you were actually trying to forget him in the first place."

"Haha, is it that obvious?"

"Whenever it came to him, it always was."

"You can thank _him_ for that..." She said, with a bright smile that took Ayato aback.

"Wh-Wha-"

"Keep up the good work!" She pats him on the head, ruffling up his head before continuing past him through the hallway, her smile persisting the whole way through.

In the dismantled Anteiku, Kaneki and the other inhabitants of the late cafe gather to talk and mourn over the missing and possibly deceased Yoshimura. It was clear that the cafe was beyond repairing, especially with the unneeded attention the last fight's brought to it. Numerous discussions were had about what to do with the cafe or where to relocate it, but none of it mattered to Kaneki, as only Reiya occupied his mind. When he had checked the apartment where Reiya stayed, there was no one to answer the door when he knocked.

_"I hope everything's okay with you and Amaya-chan." _Despite his victory of Amon, he was unable to find Reiya and Amaya afterward. _"As long as you two survived, I'm sure we'll meet again one day."_

Touka plops him on the head when she catches him daydreaming. "This isn't the time for you to be snoozing off! We need to figure out how we're going to get this place taken care."

"S-Sorry!"

Amaya finally awakens from her long slumber, having fallen asleep in Reiya's arms on the way back to Anteiku. Just as Juuzou had done, she slept for weeks without pause. A pool of blood stained the sheets around her. She rubs her cheek, as if something were missing. Something was also missing from the inside, that much she knew for certain. She gets out of bed and looks into a mirror - her hair no longer held the mournful white color it once did, returning to its natural bright teal disposition.

"I guess I'm back to normal now.." Her stomach begins to speak to her, growling intensely. It was then when she noticed something especially off. Her hunger wasn't affecting her nearly as much as it normally would. "I wonder..." She decides to check the refrigerator for anything that she could eat, finding a pack of strawberries in it, along with a note on top.

_"If you're reading this, then I'm most likely already gone. Do not try to find me. Only sadness awaits you.  
Instead, take this chance you've been given and start over. Please, for my sake, and Omou's, find it within you to forgive yourself and move on.  
Don't let yourself become another tragedy of __**his **__game. From here on, stay safe, and don't be afraid to go to Kaneki and the others if you need help. No matter what, we'll always be sisters. Farewell.  
~ Reiya"  
_  
"Rei-chan." Amaya called her name, almost expecting an answer, as her eyes filled up with tears. Finally, she explodes into her palms, falling to the floor.

"First Omou-kun, and now you too?! Forgive myself? This has all been some kind of horrible punishment. How am I supposed to live on without either of you?!" She bangs her forehead against the refrigerator.

"If I had never gone with him!"

Another bang fills the air.

"If I had never given in to my weak heart."

And another.

"If I had never been born..."

With another crash into the refrigerator, blood begins to drip down her forehead, as the pack of strawberries comes falling down, bursting out and onto the floor. With her eyes dried up, she looks at the strawberries, picking up the last one in the plastic package.

"...I wonder if I would die if I ate enough of these." She speculated, holding one of them in her hand, before finally plopping it into her mouth. _"If only I could die that pathetically."_ She bites into it, and her eyes began to sparkle. The taste wasn't bitter, nor was it nauseating. Rather than the strong urge to spit it out, she was welcomed with a burst of tangy and sweet.

_"Why... can I eat this? Am I...still a ghoul?"_

She tries to draw out her kagune, or even bring up the kakugan in her eyes, but nothing happened. A look of shock carries her throughout the room, as she searches for anything to confirm her identity as a ghoul. But no such thing existed. Through and through, she had become human, nothing short of a miracle.

She threw on her clothes and rushed over to the ruined Anteiku, in search of the ghouls whom Reiya had come to know. She wanted to find the one whom she entrusted her heart to. There, she broke the news to Kaneki - how she had lost her identity as a ghoul - how Reiya had suddenly gone missing.

Word soon began to spread around the ward of such a miracle. What started as a failed experiment to bring humans and ghouls together began to be recognized among ghouls as a way to assimilate into humanity - a one-time opportunity to live life on the other side. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, it didn't matter to Amaya. She carries on, remembering the one word Reiya and Omou always used to say to her.

_**"Live."**_

* * *

Finally, it's finished...I think o.o Let me check...

Tsukiyama gets screwed - check  
Shinohara dies (even though technically he doesn't) - check  
Completely forgot Nishiki existed after the beginning - check

There should also be one more thing missing, but that's okay If the one before this one is anything to go by, I have something super special (kinda...) for Kaneki ^_~. It's my last chance to do anything remotely romantic for him, so it's gotta count :D

Like I didn't go crazy enough with this one... Or maybe not crazy enough... Hnngh, the regret's kicking in ;-;

Anywhoo...

THANK YOU to everyone who's taken the time to follow this silly/wacky/nonsensical/etc etc story into the pits of nonsensery! School College is coming up (speaking of, it's NEXT week), and things won't be like my last one (cause transfers ;D so I probably won't be doing another long-term series like this, at least not for quite a while. Next time I do, it'll be much more serious, I hope xD

For now, at least (after the last last chapter), I'll probably take some time to focus on other things for a while. I'll probably just stick to one-shot-ish works after I start back.

(still need to work on my emote spam, I guess .)

If you didn't like the ending, then... then...sorry .. Let me also apologize for the 500+ typos, ill-placed, and just down-right stupid things I've managed to let slip through the floodgates. I hope to do better with all that in the future.

Maybe..


End file.
